The Complete Jumi Tales
by Eliza G
Summary: The complete retelling of the story of the Jumi of Seiken Densetsu 4: Legend of Mana
1. Introduction

Author's Notes: This is a writeup of the Jumi arc of Legend of Mana, one of my favorite   
stories in a game to date. I have taken some liberties, here; I've added some dialogue   
and events, but most are taken directly from the game. The main character is a female, named   
Leora, and she uses a two-handed sword.  
  
This introduction was written as an aid to anyone who hasn't played Legend of Mana (I actually   
wrote this originally as a school project), so if you wish, you may proceed to chapter one. Happy   
reading!  
  
  
  
  
I am a self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades.  
If I do say so myself, I do my jobs quite well. I live in a house near Domina, that I built myself. It's built against a giant, ancient tree. It's so beautiful in the summer, and in the winter, the snow on everything sparkles like a gem. In the autumn, the firecracker colors of the dying leaves are blown about my yard, bothersome but beautiful, and in the spring, pink blossoms frame my front door, budding from the new branches.  
In the back, I've got a Mana Orchard. Although I cannot control the Mana power of the land, I grow fine crops anyhow. The giant tree, Trent, will bear fruit from any combination of seeds, and then give seeds back to plant again. If I'm short on money, I sell my produce; if not, I feed it to my pets.  
I'm also quite handy with a sword, and love to help people. Perhaps it's a part of my thirst to prove myself. At any rate, I've done many favors for people over the years… because of this I've got three workshops in the back. The first was built by a student from Geo, and I can build magical instruments there. I was flattered he built me a shop. He did it only for a project, but Geo is so far away! I can't imagine how long it took to get here, all the way to Domina and then some. My second workshop was installed by Professor Bomb. When I found his runaway Golem, he taught me the secrets of the trade himself. I'm still getting the hang of it, though. It's rather difficult. My final workshop is the smithy, built by Watts the blacksmith, in return for finding his hammer. He'd lost it in the mines. It took me so long, but I saved my money, bit by bit, and trekked all the way to Geo. I'd bought the finest mineral available for sale anywhere, Lorima Iron, and built myself a true sword to be reckoned with.  
Every week, on the market day in Domina, I take whatever wares I can, and sell them. Some days I hardly earn enough to eat, but others I really strike gold. It all depends on what I've got. I could make jewelry if I could only afford the materials…  
Living with me are my two self-appointed apprentices--Bud and Lisa. They're very young elf twins, with nowhere to live. They were evidently kicked out of the magic academy because of Bud. I don't know the details, and never asked. I simply know that they are orphans; each carries a memento of one of their parents. Bud, his mother's frying pan; Lisa, her father's broom. Sometimes they aren't very useful; I'm afraid, but I can't cast them out. I'll feed us with my crops if I have to. After all, I do get those for free. If a week turns out to be such an occasion, I make them run the market in my place. I can't simply let them drive me nuts, can I?  
I suppose you meet some different sorts in Domina now and then. Duelle, the onion warrior, and Teapo, the teapot woman, are a very odd pair indeed. That poor girl, Rachel, has a father that treats her like a little girl, though she can't be much younger than I am. Then we have Niccolo, the rabbit-man peddler. The only one who truly seems to take him in for what he pretends to be, though, is Teapo. He claims to be a peddler of smiles, but he'll rip you off faster than a Rabite can bite you and run away.  
They, however, are nothing to the two friends I happened to meet one Salamander Day in the pub. I never imagined when I met them that it would go as far as it did. And I've learned a lot. I'm older now, on the inside.  
The story is a long tell, but if you've the time, won't you come inside and hear it? I'll brew us some heart mint tea and Lisa's just finished baking some apricat cookies.  
Oh! My name? It's Leora. Nice to meet you, as well.  



	2. The Lost Princess

  
  
  
It was a Salamander day in early summertime, and I'd just finished harvesting crops from the orchard. I was hot, and sweaty, and tired. Tired of standing, tired of reaching up to pick those elusive mush-in-a-boxes, tired of Bud and Lisa's jabbering. So, I told them I was going into town. My only intention was to have a cold tea or two, with some light, equally cold dessert; nothing I could manage to prepare at home in this heat.  
I had sponged myself off, changed my clothes, and taken my things with me. I tied my sword sheath to my belt, and took my moneybag as well.  
When I arrived in town square, it was not as peaceful as I'd hoped it would be. Right in front of Amanda and Barrett's (the pub), a strange person about my age was standing, the look on his face impatient. Duelle was standing across the street; they seemed to have just finished an argument.  
"Hey!" Duelle yelled at him. "At least tell me your name!"  
The strange man paused, contemplating the worth of his question, no doubt. Finally, he answered. "Elazul."  
He then turned around and entered the pub.  
"Jeez," Duelle muttered. "He makes me sick."  
I tried to shrug this off, and made my way over to the entrance of the pub. I reached for the door, and it swung open! I just barely had time to leap back before it hit me in the face. I was none the happier when I saw the person who'd rudely opened it was none other than Niccolo, the rabbit-man. "Out of the way please," he said, in his sickeningly cheerful manner. "It's important to share."  
"Since when can you talk about sharing?" I muttered.  
Niccolo replied, but he didn't seem to have heard me. "There I was, looking for someone to travel with, and that jerk chewed me out! How upsetting."  
I snorted that off, and walked in. Aah, it was rather stuffy. It was so hot! I took a seat at the bar and ordered a cold tea. As it was near lunchtime, the place was buzzing, but behind me I thought I heard someone shouting. I turned around on my stool, and saw the person from before, this Elazul, cornering none other than poor Rachel, who worked there as a waitress. I heard her whimper, and felt disgusted. Who did this guy think he was, anyway?  
"Hey," I said, stepping up to the two of them. "What are you doing, picking on her?"  
He turned towards me, fire in his lapis eyes. "Silence!" he commanded me, obviously angry. "Do not interrupt!"  
I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Rachel only bit her lip and looked away.  
"What are you hiding?" Elazul demanded.  
I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey!" I said.  
"Leave us alone!" he retorted.  
I frowned. "You're scaring her! Why are you yelling at her!? The poor girl hasn't done anything!"  
Elazul gave a disgusted sigh and met my eye. "This is none of your business! Could you just go away?"  
"No," I told him, coolly. "We're friends. Stop picking on my friend."  
"Friends, you say?" he asked me, then scoffed. "I don't believe you!"  
Rachel closed her eyes.  
"Don't you have any idea?" Elazul asked her. Now his voice was changing, though, from commanding to…desperate. "Are you sure you don't know where she is?"  
Rachel shook her head.  
"Dammit!" Elazul swore. "I've wasted my time!"  
He started to walk out, but now I was interested. "Hey!" I yelled after him.  
He whirled around, glaring at me. "What now?"  
I shrank back. "What happened? Are you looking for someone?" I tried to speak calmly; I wasn't after a bar fight.  
He blink at my change in manner, but answered me. "A friend is missing."  
"Who is she?" I asked. "What does she look like? Maybe I've seen her."  
Elazul paused, looking me over, as if I might not be quite what I seemed to be. "She wears a white dress and has long hair." He paused again. "She's like a sister to me… I am worried."  
There was something about his manner of speaking that made him seem so…detached, so ethereal. His voice, when calm… there was something about it. I looked him over, really well. He was wearing a blue and brown coverall, with fancy trim at the ankles. His shoes didn't look quite normal, and his ankles were wrapped in sloppy fabric. His helmet was adorned with a shield and feather, and covered in green fabric, matching that of his worn but clean cape. Most interestingly, he wore a large blue gem about his collarbone. He must be foreign. No wonder he was out this far. Instantly, I took pity.  
"Let's go search for her!" I told him.  
"Together, with me?" he asked, surprised.  
I nodded.  
"But you mustn't," he told me. Then he did a strange thing; he fingered the gem he was wearing.  
"Why not? I don't see a problem with you," I said. "Besides, I'm not half bad with a sword myself!" I fingered my sheath.  
When Elazul finally found his breath, he replied. "No, I would be grateful!"  
"She can't have gone far," I said, thoughtfully.  
Rachel, who had stayed out of the conversation for awhile, tugged on Elazul's cape. She produced, from her pocket, a tiny egg, carved out of jade.  
"So..?" Elazul asked, taking it from her. "What's this..?"  
Rachel whispered something unintelligible to me, but I could clearly tell it was a positive message.  
"It smells like Pearl…" Elazul said. "Let's hurry!"  
It smelled like Pearl? Pearl had a smell? I was confused, but I nodded a yes to him.  
We exited the bar together. "Can I have your name?" he asked.  
"Leora," I answered.  
"All right, Leora…" he said. He fingered the egg. "There's something about this…"  
"Let me see that!" I told him, recognizing something. He pressed it into my hand and my fingers closed around it. "This is jade… Mekiv jade."  
"Rachel said that a lady left it in a bar the other day," Elazul told me. "It doesn't make much sense to me, but… it has Pearl's scent."  
There was the scent thing again. Who was he?  
"It's got to be Mekiv Caverns, then," I told Elazul. "The jade's got magical properties… if it smells like Pearl, as you say, she's got to be there."  
"Where are these caverns?" asked Elazul.  
"To the south of here," I replied.  
Elazul took the egg back from me and gazed at it intently. He held it to his face, and closed his eyes. Then, yet another funny thing happened. The jewel he wore lit up with light for a split second, and made a sound like that of wind chimes. "Let's hurry," he said. "Pearl can only defend herself for so long."  
I nodded, and we set off out of Domina. We didn't speak much on the way; though it was a bit of a walk. I was too busy thinking about Elazul. Who was he, anyway? I'd never before seen him around Domina… he was secretive, and looked at people who might be his superior as if they were out to get him. And that jewel…perhaps it was simply a magic detector? I didn't know, but something was nagging me in the back of my mind… scent…jewels… there was a connection I was just barely not making.  
  
When we arrived at the caverns, mid-afternoon, I was slightly tired from the walk. Elazul, however, seemed to be as strong as ever. The entrance to the cavern was nestled in a combination of dry, prickly vines, and lush plants and flowers, growing from the water within through cracks in the rock. It was a lot darker when we went inside.  
"I sense brilliance nearby…" Elazul murmured. "It must be Pearl! We should hurry!"  
I led him through the front of the cave; this I was familiar with, but soon we were deeper than I'd ever ventured. There were Potos and blood-sucking bats attacking us at nearly every turn, but between myself and him, we took care of them. His swordplay wasn't as strong as mine, but his skills were amazing. Overall, he was the better fighter. He knew techniques that I'd never before seen… he also fought one-handed, while my sword is a two-handed blade.  
At one point, we emerged into a large, hollowed-out room. The ceiling was incredibly high, even with the slight sunlight filtering in, we couldn't pinpoint the top. A Sproutling wandered around, talking to itself and smiling aimlessly.  
"People don't come here often," it commented to us.  
"Did you see a blonde girl in a white dress?" Elazul asked.  
"She's already gone," replied the Sproutling in its calm way. The Sproutlings intrigue me, in a strange way. They're so tranquil, and soft. They don't have souls, either, so they stay forever. There's one constantly loitering outside of my house, in fact.  
Elazul looked at me, and nodded. Once again, we made our way through the caverns; it grew colder and more humid. I began to shiver. I was dressed for summer, after all. After this, I'd need a vacation. I'd heard of the Gato Grottoes, and the gems that could be found there… maybe I could find something cheap and forge something out of it.  
Way, way into the caves, we ran into a woman, ambling around. She didn't match Elazul's description, though. Her hair was flaming red, and tied back into a bun. There were two large orange flowers on either side, and she wore a green, Chinese-style dress, trimmed in gold. Her strong legs stuck out from the slits in the dress, on these she wore red leather ankle boots.  
We were about to ask her if she'd seen anything, but she smiled coldly at us and addressed us first. "You sure are late… Pearl is this way. Hurry, go help her."  
"Who are you?" demanded Elazul. "Why do you know Pearl's name?"  
She didn't answer him; instead, she turned to me.  
"One more thing… you'd best stay away from these people."  
I blinked.  
"How is it you know of us?" Elazul yelled at her. Still, she ignored him.  
She brought her face level and close to mine, and smiled wickedly. "I hope you don't get turned to stone or anything…"  
Stone? Me? Why? I was about to ask, when there was a scream from the next room.  
"Pearl!" cried Elazul. He took me by the wrist and dragged me towards the source of the noise. This cavern appeared empty, but it couldn't have been. Elazul had definitely heard Pearl's shout coming from here. I, having researched these places, had a pretty good idea of what she had screamed at.  
It appeared from behind a clump of lush, tropical plants--the kind that only grows this deep in the caverns. The large creature had matted fur, a sickly purple, mostly, but a sandy color on his belly and feet. His eyes, though wild and angry, had a certain shining of some kind of knowledge; this, however, was probably better exemplified through the large stone axe he held in his hand.  
"It's a Du'Inke," I told Elazul.  
"A what?" he demanded angrily. I suppose knowing its name wasn't going to help him. He unsheathed his sword and performed his Iai Strike technique. The creature stepped back, dazed. I stepped forward and began slashing.  
A weapon is always created with some power of Mana… everything in this world is, after all. You and I included. When you use a weapon, with every (in my case) slash, more energy is gathered and stored. When you reach a certain peak of energy, you can let loose with the more magical techniques. Just as Elazul had done with his Iai Strike earlier, I leapt forward and struck the Du'Inke with a powerful Rising Crush. In my opinion, there is no finer weapon in this world than the two-handed sword. Slightly less powerful than the two-handed axe, yes, but so much easier to handle, especially for a lightweight like myself.  
The Du'Inke struck down with its axe, making a split in the cavern floor. Elazul and I scattered; it barely missed hitting us. While it was recovering from this (see, axes are much too heavy!), Elazul and I jumped into the fray, striking with our swords. Since his was considerably faster, he filled up on energy before I did. Elazul concentrated (you could see the power flowing around him) and leaped up into the air, coming down blade-first. The Bird of Prey technique; this one I knew well. This was too much for the Du'Inke, and, badly scarred, it retreated back into the caverns.  
Monsters like that are much too tough for normal swords. It would have taken considerable time to kill it, and it was simply trying to protect its territory. We couldn't really blame it, could we? The fight done, we resheathed our weapons and remembered the task at hand.  
"Pearl!" Elazul called. "Where are you?"  
The jewel he wore, once again, lit up and made the chiming sound. This time, however, from within the masses of tropical bushes, I heard another, higher chime and saw a light. This one was white, as opposed to Elazul's blue.  
From the bushes, a very shy-looking young woman emerged. Her hair was blonde, as described, and she wore a long white dress. It was trimmed with red at her billowy skirt and sleeves… she also had a jewel in the same place that Elazul wore his, but hers was a large, round pearl. Her silver shoes were trimmed with gold and also had large pearls adorning them. I could see where she got her name.  
"Elazul?" she asked. Her voice was shy, and light as a feather, but it was extremely melodious.  
"Is your core all right?" Elazul asked, rushing to her side.  
Core?  
"Yes…" Pearl replied. She blushed. She must have been embarrassed.  
Elazul's face suddenly grew incredibly stern. "I told you not to go wandering by yourself! How did you end up here?"  
Pearl's face flushed even deeper. "I was, um, just thinking about things…"  
"You don't need to think anymore," Elazul told her earnestly. "Right now you should just stay by my side." His face softened.  
"But…" Pearl began.  
Elazul's face became stern again. "That's enough!"  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Pearl hid her face.  
"Hey, Elazul," I piped up. "No need to be so hard on her. She's all right, isn't that enough?"  
"You stay out of this!" he retorted.  
Pearl looked my way, noticing me for the first time. "Who is that?" she asked, her brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.  
"Leora--" I began.  
"Just someone who helped me find you," Elazul answered, cutting me off. He looked embarrassed…why? "A strange kind of person." Strange?  
"Oh…" Pearl said, still looking at me.  
"Well then, let's go," Elazul said, and began to walk the other way.  
"But…"  
"See you around."  
Pearl took a step towards me and met my eyes for a fleeting moment. "Um…th-thank you…" she stuttered, her face red once more.  
I smiled, and nodded.  
"We're going!" Elazul barked.  
"I'm sorry… I'm going, too." Pearl told him. She approached me once more, and removed a few large pouches from the pockets of her dress. "Thank you, Leora," she said. "This is for all you've done for me." She handed me the packages and ran off, following Elazul.  
  



	3. The Flame of Hope

  
  
  
The next week or so, I had a lot of work to do, and managed to shove Elazul and Pearl to the back of my mind. I picked my crops, sold them, forged weapons, and made Bud and Lisa sweep out the barn. It was about a week after the incident in Mekiv Caverns that I wandered into Domina and found myself pestered by Niccolo until I finally agreed to lead him through the Luon Highway. He wanted to cross it, evidently, but the monsters were too strong for him. Maybe if he'd actually equip himself with a weapon…  
When we arrived at the highway, I saw a strangely familiar figure standing among the tall grasses on the side of the road. My eyes widened as I recognized her. I approached the figure, forgetting Niccolo was on my tail, and called out her name cautiously.  
"Um…" Pearl mumbled. "Where am I? Elazul?" she turned around. "Oh, Leora!"  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"Um, I…" she stammered. "I got lost again. I wonder where Elazul could be."  
Niccolo chose that moment to butt in. "I bet that troublemaker is causing an uproar in Domina right now."  
Pearl appeared nothing less than shocked at this accusation, and moved a few steps away.  
"Ignore him," I told her, rolling my eyes.  
She nodded, hesitantly. "By the way, Leora… what is this place?"  
"A highway," I told her.  
"A…highway?" she repeated. "Oh…" Pearl walked a bit further in, to the south. "Maybe I should go see what's over there…" she looked in that direction, then turned around, changing her mind. "Hmm… maybe over here…" Pearl quickly walked away from me.  
"Pearl!" I called. "Wait!"  
However, she was too far gone. I sighed, and Niccolo pulled me away again. We went along the highway; I was slightly distracted, but the monsters weren't a challenge. Niccolo once again ripped me off, paying me in goods that I, for the most part, did not want. At any rate, I found myself wanting a vacation even more by the time we were finished. I stopped by the library in Domina and picked up a few books on travels.  
By candlelight, on my bed, I pored through them. Seeing Pearl again had reminded me of gems… I wanted to forge things of them. At first, the books were not of much help… the Ulkan mines and the city of Geo were much too far to go on a simple trip like this. Then, I stumbled upon an entry for the Gato Grottoes… There was only a tiny, three-sentence paragraph on the minerals available, but it was nearly enough to convince me of its resources. I switched to the tourism book and read the much more extensive entry there. A lovely waterfall, a cancun bird, and best of all, the temple of healing… it also boasted lovely terraces and pleasant weather. That was enough for me to make up my mind.  
I packed my things and set off. I told Bud and Lisa to mind the house, and to expect me back in two days' time. With that, I set off, and by only taking short breaks and saving my energy carefully, reached Gato by the late afternoon. The sun was just setting over the grottoes. It was a breathtaking sight.  
As I entered the town, I noticed that there were people blocking the path to the mineral shop. Upon closer inspection, I saw a robed woman (probably a nun from the temple) kneeling over a Sproutling.  
"Excuse me," she said to the downed Sproutling, but are you feeling all right?"  
"My tummy hurts…" moaned the little Sproutling, shifting its weight slightly.  
The nun looked around and noticed me. "Oh! Could you help me take care of him?"  
I nodded. "Of course."  
"Thanks," the Sproutling said, a second before it leapt to its feet and wailed, "Ow, my tummy!"  
"Come on," the nun coaxed. "Try to walk to that shop over there."  
"Oh…" the Sproutling said, confused and not making sense. "N-no, I can't!" it began to scurry up towards the mountainous paths leading away from town. "Someone help me!" it cried.  
I blinked. "Well," I began. "I don't know what to do about that… the poor Sproutling."  
"I wonder if he is all right?" the nun mused. "Maybe the mountain paths wore out that Sproutling."  
We parted there, and the path to the mineral shop was free. I opened the door, and walked inside. It was dimly lit, and smelled of wood, fabrics, and wax. Candles burnt on tiny shelves next to the wares. Mostly each shelve was lined with different sized pieces of metals mined locally. I sneered at the Menos Bronze, but looked with interest at some of the irons and silvers.  
In the back of the shop, there was a tiny display case containing gems. In front of it there was a rumpled man, wearing comfortable purple clothing. This had blue stripes on the collar, ends of the sleeves, and ends of the pant legs. He wore glasses and was examining a ruby through a magnifying glass; holding it up to the candlelight.  
"Not this one…" he murmured, not noticing me. He pocketed the ruby and pulled out an emerald. "This too… no sparkle to it."  
I cleared my throat, wanting to see the display case. "Excuse me, um…"  
"Oh!" he said, noticing me. "Excuse me. Are you looking for gems?"  
I nodded, eyeing the emerald he held in his hand. He noticed me looking, because he answered "I am sorry, I cannot sell you this stone."  
"Out of curiosity," I asked, "why?"  
"Without any sparkle to it, a stone is useless."  
I raised an eyebrow, not understanding. They seemed to glitter enough.  
"Oh, forgive me," he said. "My name is Alex, and I own a jewelry shop in Geo. I came here to buy some gems, but good gems are hard to find. I wish there were better stones…"  
He then moved away from the display case, and I moved in to take a look. I, personally, found the sight breathtaking. I was especially drawn by a piece that was labeled Alexandrite. "This stone," read the label, "is quite remarkable as it often changes from green to purple." I recalled an old poem about the gem I'd read once, green by day and purple by night…  
I decided to go eat my dinner on the terrace and then come back tomorrow to finalize my decision. Exiting the shop, I followed the path up towards the mountain, until I reached a fork. There were no signs. Luckily, there was a man standing on the edge, looking down below. Keeping my distance from the cliff, I approached him. He looked up at me; I was about to ask him the way to the terrace, but to my surprise, he spoke first.  
"Hello," he greeted me. "I'm Rubens, a fire-keeper for this town. Let me ask you something."  
"All right," I said, a little taken aback by his abruptness.  
"I hear a thief is going after the temple's flame. Did you see anyone suspicious on your way here?"  
No wonder he had asked so quickly. My mindset changed. I thought back to who I had seen… well, the person in the jewelry shop had appeared slightly odd, but my mind quickly skipped over him and flew to the Sproutling. "I did see a Sproutling acting funny," I told him.  
"A Sproutling?" Mr. Rubens furrowed his brow. "No, he is probably not involved. I guess it was just a rumor… the inspector exaggerates everything."  
"The inspector?" I asked, curious.  
"He's a mouse-man with a pipe and a really loud voice. He keeps pestering me to be careful all the time…" At that last sentence, Rubens looked away as if he had said too much, briefly touching his hand to his collarbone, which was completely clothed in bright red silk.  
"Do you know anything about the Sproutling?" I persisted, wanting to make him talk again. Mr. Rubens already seemed very interesting.  
"Not really… that Sprouting was acting strange, though. I think he went to the terrace."  
I thanked him, and looked towards the path he gestured to. However, my curiosity got the better of me and I found myself asking about his job.  
"My job is to keep the torches burning at the temple. The temple is to your left."  
"Thanks again," I told him. "I'll visit there after the terrace."  
We parted ways there. Oh, if only I had turned around for just a second, I would have seen the note come… but I digress.  
I walked onto the terrace, where I was pleasantly surprised by the tables and benches carved from the rock. I sat down there and took out the food I had prepared the night before. I was just getting into it, when I heard a familiar voice.  
"My tummy hurts! Please help me!"  
I looked over, and saw a different nun standing with the Sproutling. I watched in interest.  
"Let me see…" she said. "Oh! It's a Popo bug! It can cure most anything!"  
I raised an eyebrow. A Popo bug stuck in a Sproutling… now I'd seen everything.  
"Help me!" it screeched again, jarring me from my thoughts.  
"Just wait!" the nun said, excited. "That bug is the ultimate medicine…let's just remove it."  
The Sproutling blinked through its tears. "You're going to help me?" it asked, hopeful.  
The nun nodded, a warm smile on her face. "I'm going to peel away a leave to take out the Popo."  
"Nooo!" it cried, and ran away. I sighed. That silly creature.  
"Oh," the nun moaned. "what a waste! Popo bugs are so expensive… I think Mr. Rubens needed that medicine, too…"  
"Mr. Rubens does?" I asked, without meaning to.  
She looked over at me, startled. "I believe so," she answered. "A pity he wasn't here at the moment… Mr. Rubens comes here, too. It's so nice up here!"  
She left, and I finished my dinner. After that, I cleaned up and ambled towards the Temple of Healing. You had to get there through the rock tunnels, and when you arrived, it was simply gorgeous. The sunset lay behind the temple, which was built on an outcropping of rock over the void. The winds never ceased, and you could hear water running faintly, far below.  
I approached the doors and they opened by themselves; this truly was a spiritual place. However, the effect didn't last long. There was a nun praying at the altar and none other than the hurt Sproutling ran wild circles about her.  
"Stop it," the nun said, quietly.  
"My tummy hurts!" the Sproutling cried, deaf to her request. "Please do something about the Popo bug!"  
"Calm your soul," the nun replied, "and all worldly pains will vanish."  
I was tempted to tell her that Sproutlings don't have souls, but I kept my mouth shut. The Sproutling wasn't impressed by her reply either. "But it hurts!" it wailed.  
"You must meditate," lectured the nun. "Everything is in your mind."  
"Somebody help me!!" it screeched, and ran out of the temple. Making my decision on a dime, I decided to follow it. I fell behind a bit, but I knew it was headed to the terrace. I stepped out onto it, but stepped back again when I saw the Sproutling, a nun, and Mr. Rubens standing there having a conversation. I decided to butt out for now--but I couldn't help eavesdropping…  
"My tummy hurts!" the Sproutling whined. "Help me, but don't tear off my leaves!"  
The nun smiled, but there was something about it that looked almost…cruel… "All right, my dear," she told it. "Come over here, I will help you."  
"Okay!" the Sproutling replied. What absolutely random creatures!  
"Here," Mr. Rubens, the nun said.  
"Yes…" he replied… then a funny thing happened. I could have sworn I saw a flash of light under his clothes. Something almost clicked in my mind, there, but I lost it. I kept on watching, suddenly feeling extremely bothered.  
"OW!" screamed the Sproutling.  
"Go ahead, Mr. Rubens," the nun said in a silky voice, leaning over the Sproutling.  
Rubens furrowed his brow. "No, wait." He said.  
"Well?" the nun asked, standing up straight impatiently. "Don't you want to revive your petrified sweetheart?"  
Petrified sweetheart? All of this stuff was too much for me. I put my hand to my head and sat back against the cool rock.  
"Yes, but…" I barely heard Rubens' reply through the roaring in my ears.  
"Oooh, you meanie!" the Sproutling cried, and ran away, passing me without a glance.  
"See?" the nun asked. "Now he got away!"  
"I don't want to hurt anyone," Rubens told her in an even voice.  
The nun laughed. "Then you can't protect anyone. You're too soft." Rubens made no reply, so she continued. "Life is like this town…cutting through rocks to make pathways. We can't get to the top without a flame of hope in our hearts." She paused, and her voice became sinister, icy, and cruel. "Don't you think so?"  
I shuddered. This meant nothing to me, but obviously something was going on with Mr. Rubens. And he had told me that the inspector was warning him to be careful…  
It was all too much. I stood up and decided to go back to the temple and sit down on a pew. I felt extremely lightheaded.  
When the doors to the temple opened, I saw a nun lying on the floor. Not thinking twice, I screamed! What now? This trip hadn't been the greatest idea, after all! Slowly, I approached her, expecting the worst.  
Suddenly, a tiny mouse-man ran up from behind me and into the temple. "OH!!" he cried. "Aha! A crime!!" he stepped closer to the fallen nun. "The victim is… a… nun. She has no external wounds… Hey, you!" he yelled at me, making me jump. "Don't touch the body!"  
"Sorry," I whispered.  
"I…" came a faint, female voice. "I am still alive."  
I felt the blood rush back into my head.  
"Oh, my apologies," the mouse-man said; he could be none other than the inspector. "What seems to be the problem."  
"I twisted my ankle when the Sproutling bumped into me."  
The inspector (I read the name "Boyd" on his badge) clenched his fists, made a horrible face, and jumped up and down on the floor loudly. "So, she disguised herself as a Sproutling! What could she want!" he repeated his jumping fit. "Blast it, Sandra!"  
With that, he ran out the door. I knelt by the fallen nun, and helped her to her feet. I saw that she'd also hit her head on the floor.  
Another nun ran in from the convent, and took her, thanking me. "I will take care of her," she assured me.  
I shook my head as I left the temple. The terrace, I thought, the terrace. Hopefully there wouldn't be anyone there. I walked through the tunnels and past the fork, but when I entered the terrace, Rubens and the nun were still there. I peeked out, watching them, wishing for them to just leave..!  
"Oh, what is it?" I heard Rubens asking of the nun.  
"I think I will get the Popo bug from that Sproutling," she said, matter-of-factly.  
"Well, go ahead," Rubens replied stiffly. "I'm not going to do it."  
"How callous!" the nun said; she pretended to be shocked. "So you don't care one way or another about your love in Geo?"  
Rubens paused, and his voice grew afraid. "How is it you know where she is?" he asked, taking a few steps back.  
"Good question," the nun said, smiling cruelly.  
Rubens stepped towards her again. "Don't mock me…" he warned.  
The nun flipped her head up arrogantly. "Well, if you don't want it, can I take the Popo bug?"  
I now realize that by now it was obvious she wasn't truly a nun, and that I should have stepped in immediately. I didn't, though, and the fool I was!  
"Fine by me," Rubens told her.  
"You don't care whether if affects your girlfriend or the Sproutling, do you?" she asked, her voice still nasty. I closed my eyes for a second… where had I heard that voice before?  
"Look," Rubens said, standing directly in front of her. "I don't want to interfere in anyone's life. And I don't want anyone interfering in mine. Just leave me alone."  
Her smile grew wicked, and her eyes slitty and cruel. "Never," she breathed, in the coldest voice imaginable. I heard some chiming noises and noticed another glint from under Mr. Rubens' clothing.  
"Stones who lose their sparkle shall be punished!" cried the nun. With that, she pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr. Rubens in the chest.  
I screamed, and stepped forward, forgetting myself completely.  
"How…dare…you…" choked Mr. Rubens, and he fell to the ground.  
I stepped forward again, ready to fight, but I stopped immediately as the nun pointed her knife at me. "Come any closer, and I'll kill him," she threatened, and turned back to Rubens. "Do as I say, and I won't harm your core."  
The things bothering me in my mind clicked into place all too quickly. Cores… and jewels… and Mr. Rubens and Elazul and Pearl… by the Mana Goddess, they were all Jumi! I knew I'd recognized the cores… it had just been so long since I'd read about the stuff, and the Jumi were all but extinct… people who can live forever, as long as their core is undamaged. However, the cores are seen as precious, and the Jumi have been hunted for a long time. It is illegal, of course, but it is nearly too late. People still do it, although because there aren't many left, it isn't too common.  
"What…do you…want?" Rubens sputtered.  
The nun stepped on his stomach with one foot, and he gasped. "I wanna see some tears!" she demanded. "Cry like a child and beg for your life!" she paused, looking at his contorted face. "Well? Where are your tears?"  
"But…" Rubens gasped, "I can't…"  
"That's just too bad!" the nun declared. She extended her hands, and with her knife tore his clothes at the chest. As I expected, there was a large ruby neatly set into his flesh. The nun reached out with her other hand and tore this away. I closed my eyes; I couldn't watch. I heard Mr. Rubens gasping and gurgling for dear life. I think I screamed again, but I don't recall. I just remember pulling out my sword and running towards this horrible woman.  
"Still alive, eh?" she asked Rubens. "Jumi of the Lucidia are indeed formidable." She toyed with the ruby in her hands. "As I warned you, I'm taking the 'Flame of Hope'. I won't be caught so easily," she said, turning towards me. "See you around."  
And she teleported away before I could make a move. Such magic… and so intimidating… I tried to forget her and knelt down by Mr. Rubens. There seemed to be a void where his core had been. I tucked his clothing back over the wound.  
"Oh no!!"  
I flinched as I heard the cry. I looked up and saw Inspector Boyd. He did one of his short tantrums again. "I was too late! Blast it!" He glared at me. "So it was you!!"  
My heart leaped.  
"Give yourself up, Sandra," he ordered, "and take those crazy sticks out of your hair!"  
I fingered my hair-pipes, which I used to hold it back and to symbolize my occupations, delicately.  
"No…" Rubens whispered. "It was…a…n-nun…"  
The inspector grew furious. "Sandra is a master of disguise! But I will catch her!"  
"Ungh…" Rubens moaned.  
I could hardly bring myself to look at his face, but I knelt there by him, my heart beating with the horrible knowledge that this man was dying. I'd witnessed a murder.  
"Diana…" he murmured. "I--I wish I could see you again… I'm…sorry…"  
I stiffened as his body dissipated into shining red particles of light. They flew into the darkening sky quickly and disappeared. Nothing remained of Mr. Rubens.  
I remember going back to the temple with Inspector Boyd, but it's a bit fuzzy as to what happened before I collapsed for a nap in the convent. When I awoke, the inspector awaited me in the prayer room. He stood at the altar, and I sat on a pew, listening to him intently.  
"The temple received a note from Sandra, the jewel hunter. It said that she will steal the Flame of Hope. I thought she meant the sacred torches, but she was after Mr. Rubens' core!" I recalled what the nun--Sandra--had said about having a Flame of Hope in your heart, and shuddered.  
"If only I had known that Mr. Rubens was a Jumi!" the inspector said, cursing himself. "We must catch Sandra, no matter what! I need your help! Will you cooperate?"  
"Sure thing," I replied. I couldn't just let a murder slide.  
"OH, THANK YOU!!" he cried, making me jump. "Something tells me that Sandra is still around this area… I will search the temple and the village, you go check the outskirts."  
I nodded. "All right."  
"Let's go!"  
I ran out of the temple, through the town, and out to the rock pathways and tunnels that were too dangerous to be in the town. When I arrived, I saw leaves on the ground… The Sproutling! She had offered to help it before… Running so hard I got a split in my side, I followed the path of leaves through the caves and over the terraces. At one point I was attacked by bats and at another by snakes, but I managed to take care of them and keep running. Just when I felt that I couldn't go on any longer, I reached the base of a lovely waterfall. Hoping it was okay to take a little time, I knelt by the pool and drank my fill of the cold, clear water. When I'd caught my breath, I continued along the path.  
And sure enough, I heard the all-too-familiar voices.  
"I can get rid of the pain you feel," said the voice I knew as Sandra's.  
I turned a corner and saw the Sproutling widen its eyes. "Reeeeeally?" it asked.  
"Yes…" Sandra told it, her eyes glinting. I could have sworn they actually lit up with malice.  
"OW!!" cried the Sproutling as she snatched something from underneath its leaves.  
I stepped out so that I was visible, and who should appear from behind me, but Inspector Boyd? He was a fast little thing. Of course, the town wasn't nearly as large as the caves outside of it…  
"Oh," Sandra said. "More company?"  
"Now I have you, Sandra!" Boyd yelled. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"  
Sandra smirked, and threw off her nun's disguise. Underneath she wore a green dress, trimmed with gold…red boots…lavender gloves… I gasped. The woman from the caverns! I felt faint again. If Elazul and I hadn't arrived when we did, Pearl might have been murdered just as Mr. Rubens had been!  
"No one will ever catch me!" she declared, pulling a grappling hook from her pack. "Ta-ta, everyone!" She threw the hook up high, until it hooked a large pillar of rock. Only then did I notice that there was a large nest just peeking over the edge of the said pillar…  
"Blast it!" cried Boyd. "The Cancun bird!"  
A humungous bird took to the skies over Gato, and flew to the northeast, where it disappeared from view.  
"Ow, Ow, OW!!" screamed the Sproutling, whose presence we had forgotten in the confusion. Then, suddenly, it stood up. "Oh wow," it marveled. "My tummy doesn't hurt anymore. Yaay! I'm okay now!"  
Inspector Boyd grew angry and shook his fist at it. "Oh, shut up! This is no time to celebrate!"  
"Oh!" the Sproutling said, looking hurt. It then ran back down to the waterfall and, presumably, through the pathways.  
"Another Jumi was murdered," Boyd said, solemn. "This is horrible. Well, I appreciate your help anyway," he told me. "Please take this."  
I accepted the small sack, bearing his gift, and watched him quietly stand on the edge of the cliffs. He gazed into the tiny scraps of sunset that remained, and declared quietly, "Sandra, I will catch you one of these days!"  
  
  



	4. A Fruitless Search

  
  
  
I arrived back in Domina the next day in the late afternoon, and didn't feel like going home just yet. In fact, I felt like getting drunk and forgetting everything, but I refrained from ordering alcohol at the pub and was contented with mint tea.  
  
I took a seat at the table in the corner, closed my eyes, and began to sip in large gulps. When I finished one glass, I took a break, my shoulders heaving. Running my hand through my long, sandy hair, I looked around. The place was pretty empty. I went up to the bar and ordered another tea. As I brought it back to my table, a figure was standing in the corner near where I was sitting… so ethereal, he just appeared out of nowhere…  
"Elazul," I said, nodding my head and meeting his gaze.  
He looked at me quickly, noticing me for the first time, and surprise flickered in his eyes. "Leora," he said, with a nod equal to mine. Then, he added, "You look pretty bad."  
I wasn't sure how to take that, so I took a swig of tea and didn't answer right away. "I've just been in Gato," I began, slowly, "and there was a murder."  
Elazul raised an eyebrow. "A murder?" he asked. "Of who?"  
I looked straight at him, not believing what I was about to say. "Mr. Rubens," I said. "A fire-keeper at the temple…and…" I paused for a moment, to look at Elazul. He was watching me intently. "And," I continued, "A Jumi. Of Ruby."  
Elazul gasped, and grabbed a chair, white-knuckled. "You're joking," he whispered, knowing full well I wasn't.  
I shook my head. "And--" I gulped "--I know that you're one, as well." I kept my voice low and wouldn't look at him anymore.  
Elazul pulled up a chair at my table. "It's obvious enough, I guess," he said bitterly, but quietly. There were other customers in here, after all. "I don't even try to hide my core," he continued. "Nor does Pearl. But I've lost her again. I'm so worried about her safety…"  
My eyes widened. "Elazul!" I said. "Do you remember that woman in Mekiv Caverns?"  
"A woman?" Elazul asked.  
"Do you remember her?" I asked, urgently. "Elazul, this could mean Pearl's life!"  
Elazul nodded. "I remember her. Green dress, orange flowers."  
I closed my eyes. "She's the jewel hunter," I said. "She stabbed Mr. Rubens and took his core."  
"Pearl…" Elazul whispered. Then he looked at me. "I don't know that I can fully trust you yet…"  
"If I did anything, you could kill me so easily," I told him.  
Elazul sighed. "All right. Leora, please, help me look for Pearl. It's too dangerous about, and she can't fight off this jewel hunter…"  
"Shall we set out tomorrow morning?" I asked. "It's much too late to start out now. Looking for her at night will be worse than finding a needle in a haystack."  
"Wait," Elazul said. "I don't know. I really don't know. You should stay away from us, or else…"  
"Or else what?" I asked him, softly. "Pearl's life in is danger. I can't let another Jumi be murdered. I'll meet you here tomorrow morning when the pub opens."  
I downed the rest of my drink and walked out of the bar, and began the last stretch home. I was completely determined not to let Pearl lose her life, but one thought still nagged the back of my mind…  
Or else what?  
  
I had trouble sleeping that night, but managed to get enough hours in. I woke up early, bathed myself, dressed, and packed everything I'd need for a long search. I also took enough food for two; I didn't know what Elazul had access to.  
I met him at the pub, as promised. We met in the very back, where the owners wouldn't hear us. Luckily, no one else had yet arrived for the breakfast hour.  
Elazul was already there when I arrived. He simply met my gaze, nodded, and picked up his sword, which he had leaned against the wall.  
"Where are you aiming to search for her?" I asked him.  
Elazul shrugged. "I don't know where she could have gone," he told me. "There are so many places to wander off…some of them very dangerous."  
"Here," I said, pulling out my map, as we walked away from Domina. "I saw her on the Luon highway the other day, and we've already found her in Mekiv--"  
"You saw her?" he asked, suddenly enraged. "Why didn't you bring her to me?"  
I gulped. "Elazul, I'm sorry! She left so quickly… I tried to stop her, but she ran off."  
Elazul closed his eyes, trying to keep his cool. "All right," he agreed. "So we can cross those off of the map. What does that leave us?"  
I studied the faded parchment carefully. "Lake Kilma's not far… nor is the jungle… she could have gone to the Mindas Ruins, perhaps?"  
"I just don't know where to start looking," Elazul admitted. "That foolish girl…"  
I wanted to defend her, but Elazul was obviously in a tense mood. We just decided to make a cardinal circle around the surrounding areas and hope we found her.  
I learned, midday, at our break (by this time we were sitting on the shores of Madora beach), that Elazul wasn't much of a talker. We hadn't spoken much the whole day before this, and we only talked briefly at lunch.  
"So, why are you here?" I asked.  
"What do you mean?" he shot back, looking at me suspiciously.  
I blinked. "I've heard the Jumi city is so far away."  
Elazul nodded. "It is. Only the staffs the ancient Jumi carved show the location of the city."  
"What I'm wondering is, then," I told him, "what are you doing so far from home?"  
Elazul paused, then finally answered. "Searching for allies. We're looking for other Jumi."  
I closed my eyes, thinking again of Rubens. "Do you think there are any more besides you or Pearl?"  
"Don't say that!" Elazul yelled at me, furious. "We all know that there are a few of us still scattered out there! Be there only ten of us left, I will find them!"  
I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry," I told him, and that concluded our conversation.  
We searched the lands far into the night, and it must have been midnight before we stumbled back into Domina, exhausted. The pub was long since closed, so we said our goodbyes in front of it.  
"Dammit," Elazul swore, under his breath. "Where could she have gone?"  
"There's no place she might have gone to in particular?" I asked Elazul.  
For a moment, his eyes lit up, and his core shone. But then his eyes closed all feeling again, and he simply said, "No."  
I knew he was lying. "Well, then," I said. "Shall we go again tomorrow?"  
Elazul shook his head. "I can't ask you to. Perhaps we'll meet again. See you, Leora."  
With that, Elazul walked away from me into the depths of the sleeping town. I prayed he was headed towards the church. I didn't know where was safe anymore.  
However, as he walked away from me, he left one verbal clue… I heard him mutter the word…  
"Leires…"  



	5. The Looking-glass Tower

  
  
I went to bed that night feeling extremely confused. I slept in fits, and had strange nightmares that woke me up from fright, yet I could never remember them. In the morning, though, I gathered up my books that I'd taken out about Gato and exchanged them at the library for research materials on more ancient things.  
Everything that I could find with "Leires" in its index was checked out. I brought these books to the pub with me and looked at them over breakfast.  
"The Tower of Leires was built in ancient times by magicians. Its intent has never been widely known. Nowadays, it is nothing but a testament to its builders and a home of the Succubus clan. Other monsters spotted inside include Basilisks, Dainslaifs, and Mad Mallards.  
"There are legends associated with the tower of a Moon's Mirror and a Room of Fate, but no one is certain exactly which of these are true. Both have been rumored to bring out such things as the secrets of one's past, or the dark side of one's soul."  
"The Tower of Leires' location is not widely known. Only the modern people have even found the Gate of Ravens at the tower's base. Legends say that the tower will call out to those with troubled souls, but again, this is just a legend."  
I closed the book, considering this. Pearl was always wandering off, thinking about things. Elazul had told her she didn't need to think anymore… I wondered…  
But wait, I said to myself. Leora, is this really any of your business? You have a tendency for butting into other people's problems…  
I can't help it, I decided. I saw a Jumi get murdered in the Gato Grottoes. I can't let that happen again. I picked up my books, paid my tab for the pub, and walked back home. I deposited the books upstairs in my room, and went back down to cook a lunch over the fire. When that was finished, I set the table for three and called in Bud and Lisa.  
"I'm sorry," I told them as we began our meal, "but I've got to go out again this afternoon. I don't know that I'll be back by nightfall."  
"Where are you going this time?" Lisa asked, her primrose-colored bangs framing her wide eyes.  
"I'm looking for someone," I answered.  
Bud cast me a glance. "Who are you looking for?"  
I hesitated. I'd met Pearl twice, and it had all been so brief. And I didn't want them accusing me of being nosy, even though at this point I probably deserved it. "An acquaintance," I told them, finally. "She's missing, and I fear her life may be in danger."  
The little elf twins' eyes grew huge in unison. "Who wants to kill her?" asked Lisa.  
I bowed my head. "A horrible woman. We don't know of her motives."  
"Hey, Master!" Bud said, shaking it off. "Take me with you!"  
I shook my head no. "Sorry, Bud, but I can't. It's too dangerous."  
"Dangerous? I'm Bud the Malignant!"  
I could tell Lisa kicked her brother under the table. "Bud!" she hissed. "If she says it's too dangerous, it's too dangerous!"  
"Thanks, Lisa." I said. "I need you two to watch the house while I'm gone; the usual. Don't let anyone in, and help yourself to the produce stores for supper."  
After lunch, I packed my things and was off.  
The Tower of Leires actually was on my map, but I'd never noticed it before. The dot that marked it wasn't at all prominent, and it seemed to lie in the middle of a not-oft-traveled grassy plain. When I began to enter the vast prairie, I pulled out my compass and continued in the correct direction. I hoped I wasn't off by too much, because otherwise I'd never get out of here. However, as dusk approached and it grew dim, I detected a faint purple glow coming from the south… they almost looked like…windows. I nearly ran the rest of the way. I could hardly believe I was doing this. The tower seemed so sinister! What was I doing, hunting it out like this? And it was inhabited by dangerous creatures. Dainslaifs, demonic possessed swords; Basilisks, squat, round reptiles whose gaze would turn you to stone; and the Succubus Clan! Vampires, they were! Here I was going to look for a girl in a place riddled with vampires?  
She stood there, eerily, a slight breeze blowing her sandy hair from one side. Up close and from the back, I saw that it was quite intricate. It was longer in the middle, and plaited into two braids which ended in the same bushy halo that surrounded the rest of her head.  
"Leires…" she murmured, and a chill flew up my spine.  
I was about to tap her shoulder, but she instinctively flew around and saw me. I gulped, hoping she wouldn't be mad.  
"Oh!" she cried. "Leora!" then she blushed. "What are you doing here?"  
I smiled. "Elazul's been worried sick," I told her. "Looks like I found you first."  
"Oh…" Pearl said, then averted her eyes back to the tower. "I have to go. The tower is calling me…"  
I reached out with my hand to stop her. "Pearl, you can't be serious about going in alone," I said, not believing my ears. "There are vampires in there. Demon swords. Basilisks. Any of them could kill you so easily! You've got to let me come with you?"  
Pearl's brandy-colored eyes peeked up at me from underneath her hair, shyly. "A-are you sure?" she stammered. "I'll be nothing but a burden on you…"  
"Pearl," I told her, "I'll take you into the tower. You simply can't go alone."  
Pearl blinked, and blushed. "Thank you…" she murmured in her quiet fashion.  
We entered the tower, cautiously. The interior was completely lit, although the source of light was unknown and it wasn't the purple glow that you could see from the outside. I guessed that the windows were tinted, but as it was night, I couldn't tell. The walls and floor seemed to be made of sandstone. Elaborate pillars and banisters lined the walkways. We didn't run into any trouble on the first floor, but we climbed the elaborate stairway up to the second with caution.  
The book had been right, so far. I fought off Basilisks and Mad Mallards as if my life depended on it… and it did. Pearl's, too. I made sure to slash the Basilisks in the eyes, first, so they couldn't petrify me or her. Knowing that one could come around any corner was a terrifying experience!  
It remained about the same up to the third floor, Mad Mallards and Basilisks came to attack and I would defeat. There were also vampire bats in here! Pearl and I each ended up with a few bites, but we survived. Then, when we turned one bend on the third floor, Pearl showed me to a large set of metal doors.  
"It's a transport room," she told me. "We'll be safe in here and taken up a few floors."  
Taking advantage of the safety, I pulled a handkerchief and my canteen out of my knapsack, wet the hankie, and beckoned to Pearl. Shyly, she allowed me to sponge off the wounds the bat had given her and rub some disinfectant on them. Granted, our medical advances are going slowly and the disinfectant paste wasn't always effective, but it did stop the bleeding entirely. I repeated the process on myself. Then, we used the transportation device (it was activated by a large crystal in the center of the room) to go up to floor six. The doors slid open and I prepared for the worst.  
At least I had prepared for it. I'd never fought so hard in my life. All the way up to the eighth floor, we struggled. I fought the Dainslaifs, who attacked in groups. While one would attack me and I'd be busy fending it off, the other would take that moment to plunge at Pearl, who could do nothing but crouch in the corner. I managed to defeat the situation the first time it came up. However, the second time, we were on the eighth floor. Two Dainslaifs and a Succubus vampire ran it to attack us! I switched madly from target to target, trying to protect Pearl yet not wanting to fall myself, because then she'd be doomed. I began to wonder if I should have just taken her back to Domina until Elazul showed up. But who knew if he would have?  
I slashed madly with my sword, and defeated one of the Dainslaifs. Like the demon it was, it vanished with only a high-pitched howl and a streak of light, burning itself onto my retina. Lunging over at the other, which was trying to slash off any of Pearl's limbs, I shoved her out of the way and performed the Rising Crush on it. It worked, and I defeated the sword, but now Pearl and I were both in horrible condition, and I barely felt the vampire shove me to the ground beside Pearl. I could hardly resist… it seemed like it would be so easy to just accept death, and…  
No! I'd already let one Jumi get murdered. It was now a personal duty for me to make sure that this dying race got back on its feet! The Succubus leaned over Pearl, about to bite her. She whimpered, and closed her eyes. I raised my sword, slowly, and closing my eyes, brought it through the awful beast's torso. I heard its death cry, and waited until I knew the body had vanished completely (nothing so wretched can preserve its body in death.).  
Pearl drew in a shaky breath. "I knew…" she whispered, "I would only be a hindrance."  
"Don't say that, Pearl…" I told her, feeling, somehow, that the danger was past. "Is your core all right?" I asked, without thinking.  
Pearl gasped. I realized (stupid me!) that she didn't know that I knew she was a Jumi. "How--how do you know about my core?" she stuttered.  
I sighed. "My own deduction. Pearl. I'm sorry." I sat up, scrutinizing myself for wounds. I decided that I'd be okay, and just needed to clean up the blood. "Although I understand it if you can't trust me, I assure you that you can. I am a friend, Pearl." I extended my hand to her.  
Finally, shaking as she was, she accepted. I supported her until we found another set of metal doors; it was another transportation device. We took the time there to clean ourselves up, and mend our clothing. I knew my sewing kit would come in handy one of those days. After that, we rode up to the tenth floor. I fought off a Succubus, but I was ready for them this time, so I defeated it, even though my energy was waning. After that, we took a flight of ominous-looking stairs to the top floor, the eleventh.  
There was a set of steel doors here, too, but it was different. It was oddly quiet on this floor, and I started to feel a bit cold. One of the windows was broken and it was rather drafty. This door, also, was flanked by statues of creatures that I just wasn't sure of.  
"The room of fate lies beyond the door," Pearl said. "Everyone must face their past." She approached the doors hesitantly, and turned around. "I--I'm sorry, Leora. Run if it gets dangerous…"  
I nodded, not intending to leave her side at all.  
The doors slid open, and she entered, me close behind.  
Inside the room, on the elaborate purple rug, stood a woman, about Pearl's height and stature. Their hair was also similar, as were their faces. I wondered… Pearl's past? Could she be an image of Pearl's mother, perhaps? They looked alike, but it couldn't have been Pearl herself, because this woman's core was black as night.  
"You're the guard?" Pearl asked, with caution. Her core chimed and blinked; there was no reaction from the woman. "Please…tell me… I want to know my own past…"  
The woman suddenly disappeared in a puff of black smoke. A rumbling sound was heard, and I had the sinking feeling that she was going to be replaced by something much bigger and more dangerous. Pearl screamed, and I turned out correct.  
The creature looked to be a giant centaur, wearing ample iron armor. After fighting it for a few minutes, I learned just how quick it was. Its attacks were hard to judge and powerful. I simply knew that I couldn't get hit; I just had to keep slashing at it until it was defeated. If I was correct, and this creature was too a demon, it wouldn't matter where I hit it.  
Somewhere along the lines, I heard Pearl scream. I abandoned attacking the beast and rushed to her side. She'd been hit by one of his shockwaves.  
"I can't let you do this to yourself," she whispered, hurriedly. "Run, Leora!"  
I shook my head. "Never."  
The iron centaur crashed down on the ground once more. I lifted her up and dropped her, my timing perfect. Pearl touched down on the floor harmlessly as I felt the shockwaves run through my body. Oh, the pain… I had to overcome it! I couldn't let either of us fall!  
Pearl looked at me briefly, then went back to crouch in a convenient corner. I continued to attack the beast and dodge its attacks. Slash, parry, slash, parry.  
I couldn't believe it when I won. The creature was demonic, and dissolved into thin air. I dropped to my knees, winded, and managed to get my canteen. I downed its contents.  
"I was so scared," Pearl squeaked, approaching my side. She was going to say more, but her eyes widened and she touched her core briefly. "Huh? My core…"  
I heard a chime, and then saw hers chime and glint in return. I looked around, and who had just walked in the door but Elazul himself!  
"Pearl!" he cried, his voice filled with relief.  
"Elazul…" Pearl murmured, a smile in her eyes.  
"I thought I told you not to wander around!" Elazul yelled. I knew how much he cared for Pearl, but I still thought he could be a little nicer to her.  
"I'm sorry," Pearl apologized. "If I try to remember something--"  
Elazul cut her off and took her hand. "Thanks again," he told me. "Let's go."  
Pearl withdrew her hand from Elazul's. "I feel like I can… please help me… Please…" Elazul huffed, and began to walk away. "Please Elazul…" Pearl begged. "Elazul…"  
Elazul paused and turned around. "I understand," he said, finally. He then approached me. "Take Pearl to the bottom of the tower." He then pushed his face so close our noses were almost touching. "If anything happens to her, I will kill you… Understand?"  
I nodded, shaking.  
"I'll clean up the little trash." Those monsters were little trash? "Don't let Pearl get in over her head."  
Elazul left the room, and Pearl turned to me, her face once again crimson. "Thank you for helping me," she said.  
The trip town was fairly uneventful, thanks to Elazul taking care of any monsters I had missed on my way up. The only thing I fought was a lone Mad Mallard on the third floor. Piece of cake. We had reached the entrance to the tower and were about to go outside (to my total relief) when we heard a small sound behind us. We both turned around.  
"What was that?" Pearl asked. She walked a few paces towards the other wall, then bent down to pick up something. "A note?" she marveled. Suddenly, her voice filled with panic. "The jewel hunter!"  
I hurried up to her to look at the note. "I will take your white pearl," it read, simply. I heard another sound behind me. When we turned back around, that horrible woman, Sandra, stood there smirking.  
"I've wanted to meet you," she said to Pearl.  
"No…" Pearl squeaked. She took my shoulders gently and stepped behind me. I can't say I blamed her one bit.  
"Your core is mine!" Sandra declared. "Judge the clod who has forgotten its sparkle! Go! Jewel Beast!"  
Sandra took a shining gem out of seemingly nowhere and threw it up into the air. Suddenly, it grew into a horrible looking monster! Its torso was like a badly cut jewel, and it had four, sharp-looking, spider-like legs. Its neck seemed to be made of the separated strata of an old petrified stone, and its head was nothing but a unique skull.  
I had no choice; I had to fight again. "Pearl, get out of the way!" I yelled.  
Pearl panicked. "But the jewel hunter--!"  
"Get behind me!" I ordered. "And stay there!"  
I fought the jewel beast the best I could. Luckily, its defenses were horrible, even if its attacks were strong. Pearl behind me was a bit of a bother, but I couldn't let her near Sandra. It would mean her life.  
It seemed like hours for the battle, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. It had weaknesses everywhere, and I defeated it quickly. Perhaps it was because I was not a Jumi. Those things seemed like the natural enemies of the Jumi.  
Sandra scowled for a minute, but then her smirk returned. "Quite a partner you have, Pearl," she said, sweetly.  
"Why..?" Pearl asked. "Why do you hunt us? How terrible!"  
"Listen to your core," Sandra said, her voice growing low and husky.  
"Huh..?" Pearl said, not understanding.  
"We'll meet again," Sandra said. It was more of a statement than a threat, but we all knew that that woman was dangerous. She pulled out her grappling hook, caught something on the ceiling, and disappeared into the night and the tower.  
"Am I going to die?" Pearl wondered. "A guardian without a knight is a sitting duck. Elazul is looking for others… and if that Jumi is a guardian, then he'll… and I'll be all alone…"  
I didn't know what to say to her.  
"I hope he never finds one," Pearl said, resolutely.  
I still couldn't say anything to her. I'd figured out that the Jumi operated in pairs, and that Elazul was Pearl's knight. However, I failed to understand the role of the guardian. Pearl had done nothing up in the tower.   
"I have to go," she told me. "Elazul is waiting… I'll get yelled at again."  
"Don't let him," I told her. "It's not your fault."  
She smiled. "Thank you, Leora. Take care…"  
And Pearl walked out of the tower, leaving me all alone in the night.  



	6. Sheltering the White Pearl

  
  
  
  
  
All of these events left me so confused that I could hardly sleep for days. Bud and Lisa bought the story that I was ill and ran the market for me on those days. I lay around on my bed, staring into space. Pearl was now with Elazul again (or so I hoped) and they were probably far, far away. I worried about Pearl's safety. The jewel hunter was after her, and Elazul could only protect her so much. A Jumi himself, all she had to do to kill him was take his core away. I shuddered at the thought. Though Elazul was very blunt and Pearl so shy, I felt like they were almost my friends.  
Bud and Lisa came back one day with a fortune from Meimei, the fruit lady in Domina. I smiled, and thanked them. Meimei's fortunes are usually pretty correct, so I accepted.  
"We asked her what would make you feel better," Lisa explained. "Here's the fortune."  
She handed me a piece of paper. It read: "Patience, and you'll find the resolution where it's always been."  
"Thank you, Lisa," I said. "and Bud. I think I'll go into town today, after all, and see what I can do."  
The little twins smiled, and I was grateful that they'd helped.  
I went into Domina, and checked around everywhere. I didn't see Elazul or Pearl. Oh well. Meimei's fortune had told me to be patient. I went to the library instead, and found an extensive book on the Jumi. I borrowed this nonchalantly, and began to read it on a fixed schedule.  
In the morning, I would get up, fix breakfast, then go lie on my bed until noon, reading the book. After that, I'd make lunch, go into town if need be, come home, make dinner, and read a bit after that until I fell asleep. I learned a lot of things about the Jumi.  
First of all, they always work in pairs; guardian and knight. The knight fights, while the guardian heals. Each without the other is considered useless in their culture. Something didn't make sense to me, though. Pearl had never once healed me or herself in the tower. Perhaps there was something wrong.  
Reading on, I learned of strata, a bit of a ranking system based on the makeup of their cores. The highest strata, the Clarius, is occupied by only one in the culture; he or she carries great responsibilities. The next rank is Lucidia, then half-Lucidia, and finally, Clod. Sandra had called Pearl a clod, but I doubted that. Her core was beautiful… maybe it was just an insult.  
When I finally read about the tears, though, I began to think. The tears of a Jumi contain the most precious thing: life. They can heal almost anything, and as long as a Jumi's core still contains magic, the body can be restored through tears. However, because they were hunted, the Jumi all became unable to cry, with the exception of the Clarius. I recalled how Mr. Rubens had said he couldn't cry… I wondered if the jewel thief knew of this fact. She had probably just been asking for tears to fulfill her own desire for some cruel entertainment. This was probably also why Pearl hadn't done any healing. With this development to the race, the guardians must be completely useless!  
When I finished the book, I returned it to the library and went to the pub to grab a snack. It figures, I wasn't even looking for him, and there Elazul was, standing in the corner, casting glances around.  
I approached him immediately. "Where's Pearl?" I asked.  
Elazul sighed. "She's left again. I only lost her about a half-hour ago…"  
"Let's go," I told him. "We've still got time."  
"I'm grateful, I really am," Elazul said, "but I meant it when I said you should stay away from us…"  
"Come on," I told him, and was about to drag him out of the pub, when the doors slammed shut. It was Pearl! I was so relieved! She hadn't really gotten lost again after all.  
"Aaa!" she cried, in relief. "You! Elazul!"  
"Where have you been?" Elazul asked.  
"I…um…" Pearl said. "I didn't want you to…leave me…so I ran off to the park for awhile…"  
"What?" Elazul looked utterly confused.  
"Oh, I just felt like I might get left behind. Are you going somewhere?"  
Elazul nodded, shortly. "Yeah…"  
Pearl gulped. "Should I stay here?"  
"Yeah," Elazul told her again.  
"That's not fair," Pearl said, looking sad.  
Elazul looked at her seriously. "You must! Outside is perilous. Right Leora?"  
"Yes," I said, "but so is this place."  
"Perhaps you're right…" Elazul said, looking deep in thought.  
I spoke up. "Pearl can stay at my house. There's no safer place in the world, I guarantee it."  
Pearl's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" she said.  
We walked back to my house, Pearl a few paces ahead of Elazul and I. "She is in need of things," Elazul confessed to me. "like a home… a family…"  
"I hope she'll be happy at my house," I said. "It's a lively place."  
"I'll come in and help her get settled," he said. "If it's all right."  
I nodded. "Of course."  
"You have no idea how much I appreciate this," Elazul said to me. "Because the guardians have--lost their place--" he paused, but I didn't question him as I already knew why. "It becomes increasingly more difficult to protect her. And Pearl's always wandering off…"  
"She doesn't know her own past," I mused. "I wonder why…"  
Elazul clammed up on that, so I changed the subject.  
"Where do you think you'll find allies?" I asked.  
Elazul shrugged. "I'm going to check all the cities that I can. See who I can find."  
"Be careful," I told him.  
Elazul nodded, and our eyes met. Silently, I knew we'd just declared a truce of trust.  
We arrived at my home shortly after.  
"Oh!" Pearl breathed. "This is so wonderful, Leora!"  
I smiled. "I'm glad you like it, Pearl. Come inside, we'll get you settled and I'll show you around."  
I opened the door up, and my two companions followed me in. "I have two apprentices," I explained. "Bud and Lisa. They're elf twins. I think they're out back right now."  
"What are they like?" Pearl asked, cautiously.  
"Friendly, very friendly," I told her. "Sometimes to the point of being obnoxious. But they are very loyal."  
This seemed to make both Jumi relax. I knew Bud and Lisa wouldn't do anything to hurt them.  
"What's in here?" Pearl asked, opening a door. I looked in, and winced.  
"My library," I replied. "It's messy, I know."  
"Where'd you get so many books?" Elazul asked.  
I shrugged. "Been collecting for awhile. Here, come upstairs, and I'll set up a place for Pearl."  
My bedroom is very large, and there's a portion of it that I never use, so I hung a sheet from the ceiling to make her a partition.  
"I have another mattress," I said to Pearl, "but I'll have to get it out later." I opened my trunk of bedding and pulled out a sheet and two blankets, as well as a pillow. "In the meantime, we'll just put these here."  
"You don't have to do all this," Pearl said, blushing.  
"I want you to be comfortable," I replied. "Don't you agree, Elazul?"  
He nodded affirmatively. "You can't worry at all here, Pearl. Feel as safe as possible."  
After we set that up, I took her around the house. First we visited my monster corral, where she met Bud and Lisa (they took to her immediately) as well as my pets. Then I showed her my workshops, and finally the orchard, where she was just enchanted. Finally, I had everyone in for tea before Elazul had to leave.  
"It's so warm," Pearl murmured, watching the fire from my table. "Elazul, why don't you stay, too..?"  
Elazul smiled. "I've got to find allies, Pearl. It's the only way we'll survive out there."  
"Where are you going to go?"  
"Around," he replied. "Lots of places. Anywhere I can find Jumi. If I can possibly do so, I'll bring them to meet you." Elazul stood up. "I've got to go now, at any rate. It's getting late."  
"Elazul…" Pearl looked up at him.  
"Don't worry, Pearl," he said. "Leora will protect you, and she's just as good of a knight as I am."  
I walked Elazul just outside the door. "I'll be in Geo for awhile," he told me. "Take care of Pearl for me."  
I nodded. "Of course. She'll be fine here."  
"And please don't tell her where I am," he said. "I don't want her out looking for me with the jewel hunter about."  
"I promise I won't," I said. "Good luck, Elazul."  
And with that, he was gone.  



	7. The Lucky Clover

  
  
  
  
Pearl did just fine staying at my home. She got along well with Bud and Lisa, and was kind enough to help me out with a lot of things that they were too small for. She loved making popcorn from the cornflowers and feeding it to my pets. My Rabite, Athene, especially enjoyed this treat, and Truffle the Chocobo even let Pearl ride him after a few days.  
She, however, was still lonesome for her partner. "I wonder where Elazul went," she mused, one day. "I suppose he told you not to tell me so I wouldn't follow him."  
I nodded, meeting her gaze.  
"He was right in doing that," she admitted. "I'd just get lost… and captured by the jewel hunter…"  
I shuddered. "Don't say stuff like that, Pearl."  
"I hope Elazul's okay," Pearl continued. "I wish I could talk to him…"  
"Why not write him?" I suggested. "I'll take it to him. I need to go on a shopping trip anyway."  
Pearl's eyes lit up. "Would you, Leora?" she asked. "Oh, I'll go write him a letter now!"  
I smiled. Though she missed Elazul, she was so much happier here on the whole, rather than on the run with her partner, avoiding the jewel hunter at every turn, not knowing if she'd be alive the next day… it must be horrible to live like that.  
By evening, Pearl had finished her letter and sealed it into an envelope. I promised to take it to Elazul the next morning, by which time I was all packed and ready.  
Before Pearl was awake, I took Bud and Lisa into the corner and consulted them. "I'm going to Geo," I told them, "and I might be gone for awhile. Tell Pearl that, but don't tell her where I'm going! She'll follow me and get lost."  
"Why can't she go with you?" Lisa asked.  
"Someone's after her, that's why she's here. But you can't talk about it, Lisa. She'll just get sad."  
"I want to go to Geo!" Bud piped up.  
"Later, Bud," I told him, slightly annoyed. "I know you used to live there but this is important. Take care of Pearl while I'm away, all right?"  
The little twins nodded, and I was off.  
Geo is so far from Domina! I'd barely arrived when I collapsed at the local café/inn. The next morning, I awoke, feeling kind of dirty. I took advantage of the shower facilities and let myself stay in as long as I liked. After that, I brushed out my hair, put in the pipes, and dressed. Finally, I set out to the city to look for Elazul.  
It was a warm Aura day, and the city was fairly quiet. Geo hosts the most prestigious magic academy in Fa'Diel, and there was obviously a class today. Only a few kids from the academy walked about the streets.  
In the center of town, near the café, I noticed a large jewelry store. The two displays in the window showed sleek, foreign-looking people, decked out in silk and gems. The door was framed by large silk curtains with an immense, fake sapphire in the middle. It looked almost like a turban.  
I remembered the jeweler, Alex, I had met in Gato and wondered if this was his shop. I stepped in the door and was met by the cold environment so typical of a jewelry shop. I also saw Alex, dressed in his purple and blue outfit, and none other than Elazul. I was only mildly surprised. It might have been a bit of a risk, but a jewelry shop was the place where people would take a lot less notice of his core.  
"Oh, Leora," he said. "What are you doing in Geo?"  
"I've got a letter for you," I said.  
Elazul raised an eyebrow. "Wanna go together to the fruit parlor and talk there? It's a nice day outside."  
I agreed with him. There were one too many sets of ears in here.  
We walked to the outdoor terrace, where there were tables set up, shaded by umbrellas made of dried-out palm fronds. No students roamed around-one of the teachers at the academy, Kathinja, frequents the bar. She teaches on Aura day.  
Elazul and I both ordered drinks and sat together at a table. "Here's your letter," I said, handing him the envelope. "Pearl insisted on writing to you, so I said I'd deliver it."  
"Is she all right?" Elazul asked.  
I nodded. "She's fine, and Bud and Lisa are the next best people I know to leave with her."  
Elazul smiled, and tore open the letter. He read it over once, then pocketed it. "Did you really come all the way out here just to deliver the letter?"  
"Actually, I have some shopping to do as well," I admitted.  
"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," Elazul said. "It's rumored that jewelry shop used to sell our cores. The jeweler now seems friendly enough, but I'm not sure of this place."  
"All right," I said, getting up. "I'm after minerals mostly."  
We were about to leave the fruit parlor when there was a flash of light. Suddenly, a girl dressed in the exotic clothing typical of this region, with bright green hair appeared in a flash. Right after that, what would appear to anyone as a circle of stained glass teleported in. I recognized him to be Nunuzac, a teacher at the academy. From what I'd heard, his true body was trapped in a different dimension, and he used the magic circle as his body to teach at the magic academy.  
"Looks like we did it!" the girl declared, smiling.  
"Hey!!" Nunuzac yelled. "How many times must I tell you, dirt!?"  
The girl's smile faded. "But I…"  
"You're just dirt!" accused the teacher.  
"Hmph!" said the girl, and teleported away again, her teacher right behind her.  
Elazul's core gave off a bit of light. "That girl? No, it couldn't be!"  
I looked at him. "You think she's a Jumi?" I asked.  
Elazul closed his eyes. "I can feel it," he told me. "Is she a student here? Where's the academy? I want to meet her."  
"Slow down," I told him, smiling. "I'll take you there."  
We walked back through the streets, past the jewelry shop, then up a flight of stairs. There, the academy stood before us. Seven-hundred years of quality instruction and counting. I led him inside to the one classroom, where a handful of students stood in rows, watching the teacher, Kathinja, give her lesson. Among these students was the green-haired girl.  
When Kathinja finished talking and gave the class a five-minute break, we approached her.  
"Hello!" she said, pleasantly.  
Elazul's core gave a glint and a chime, and, as expected, the girl's followed.  
"Ah, a Jumi!" Elazul said, pleased. "I am the Lapis knight, Elazul. I'm on a journey looking for other Jumi."  
"Wow!" the girl exclaimed; a bit too loud.  
Kathinja looked up from her post. "Say, over there!" she yelled at Elazul. "Save picking up girls for your days off!"  
The girl grimaced. "Ahaha," she laughed nervously, "don't worry about it. I've got a class today. Let's meet at the library some other time! Maybe on a Gnome or Undine day. Oh, and I'm Esmeralda. Nice to meet you."  
Elazul and I left the classroom then. "At least it won't be long," Elazul said. "I'm anxious to find out about her. Imagine, my first stop and I've already found someone!"  
We stayed at the inn until one of her days off rolled around, then went back to the academy. As promised, the emerald girl was waiting in the library; unfortunately, Nunuzac was with her.  
"Oh!" she cried when we arrived. "Elazul!"  
"Quiet, dirt!" Nunuzac commanded. "This isn't war… you don't have to yell."  
"Dirt?" Elazul asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Useless dirt!" declared Nunuzac. Jumi cores were once valued for their magic. The mages vied with one another for these cores, but they were all useless!"  
"Wait!" Esmeralda told him. "Not in front of a guest."  
Nunuzac appeared to not have heard. "The ancient texts talk of their incredible powers. Such as great magical forces and powers of healing. This is my sweet little apprentice, but she is just a worthless clod of dirt."  
"Why, you!!" Elazul yelled, losing control and becoming angry. He made a move to attack the teacher, who teleported away.  
"Whew…" Esmeralda murmured.  
Elazul glared at her. "Are you really a Jumi?" he asked. "Why don't you defend yourself?"  
"Because it's the truth," Esmeralda shrugged. "And fewer people will be after my core!"  
"Hmph," Elazul said, not agreeing with her.  
"There's something I want to ask," she said, changing the subject. "In your travels, Elazul, did you see anyone that looks like me?"  
"No," said Elazul, shaking his head. "How about you, Leora?"  
"No, I haven't seen anyone," I told her.  
"Oh…" Esmeralda said, looking very disappointed.  
"Looking for someone?" Elazul asked.  
"Sorry," she said. "Let me be alone for awhile."  
Elazul sighed as we left the library. "Let's go see her again tomorrow," he said.  
"We can't just interrupt her class," I reminded him.  
"We'll be careful," he promised. "I just want to find out about her. See if she can join together with us. I wonder if she's a knight or a guardian…"  
I wondered, again, whether or not he really would abandon Pearl. I know he cared about her safety, but now she was just fine where she was…  
At any rate, we stayed another night at the inn, and went back the next day to see Esmeralda.  
"You looked troubled," Elazul told her, as soon as there was a free moment in the classroom. His core gave off a touch of soft light.  
"Yes…" Esmeralda replied. "I have a favor to ask… of this person."  
"Me?" I asked.  
"Of Leora?" Elazul confirmed.  
"Come to the library, Elazul," Esmeralda told him, simply, "on a Gnome or Undine day."  
It was extremely bothersome having to stay two more nights at the inn, but Elazul was determined and I was behind him all the way. In the meantime, I shopped while he hung around. A few times, I stopped him from getting into a fight in the nick of time. Phew.  
When the next free day rolled around, we couldn't have gotten to the library fast enough. Esmeralda and Nunuzac awaited us, as usual.  
"Thank you so much for coming!" she said, pleased.  
"So, what can I do for you?" asked Elazul.  
"First, let me explain," Esmeralda smiled. "I ran away from the Jumi city and was taken in by the academy."  
"Why did the Jumi city die out?" Elazul asked of her. I realized he must have left looking for allies earlier than that.  
"Florina, the only one who could heal, was kidnapped," was her reply. I had the feeling she was throwing in these other details for my sake.  
"Healing…Florina…" murmured Elazul, lost in thought.  
"It was too risky to stay together in the Jumi city…" Esmeralda continued. "Because the power of healing was no more… In the chaos, I was torn from my sisters."  
"So, that Nunu-magic-guy… he's been interfering, eh?" Elazul muttered, casting a nasty glance at the teacher.  
"No," Esmeralda told him. "Mr. Nunuzac has taken me in. In exchange for his instruction in magic… I promised I would stay until a knight appeared."  
Elazul's eyes brightened. "So I should be your knight, eh?"  
"No, Elazul," Esmeralda said, her voice stern. "You already have a guardian, right? Mr. Nunuzac says that's two-timing."  
"But knights and guardians aren't lovers or anything," Elazul protested.  
"The most one can do is protect himself and one other," Nunuzac boomed. "Stop showing off, Jumi boy."  
"You underestimate me," Elazul shot back; he turned back to Esmeralda and I. "Well, what now?"  
"Mr. Nunuzac said maybe I should ask Leora."  
I raised my eyebrows. Me, a knight?  
"Of course!" Nunuzac said, his voice jolly. "I do like those exotic hair-pipes!"  
"Well, what do you say, Leora?" Elazul asked me.  
I smiled. "What can I do but accept knighthood? I'd be honored."  
"Thanks, Leora!" Esmeralda cried."  
"Well," Elazul said, "I'll head to the jewelry store. Call me if you need me. I hope we can find her sisters." With a final glimmer from his core, he was off.  
I turned to Esmeralda. "Can you describe your sisters?"  
She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then recovered. "Don't worry. My sisters will be drawn to my core. We'll see them soon."  
"Are they all in Geo?" I asked.  
She nodded. "They should be…" her voice trailed off. "I fear they were stolen from me when I arrived."  
I felt a chill as I realized we were only hunting for their cores.  
"Let's check out the school, then," I suggested. "You'll feel them, right?"  
She nodded, and smiled. "There aren't any here or in the classroom, I know that."  
"Where else is there to check?" I asked.  
"Just the principal's office," she said. "Come on."  
We entered the door to the office, and I caught a glimpse of all the funny statues and devices the academy's principal had scattered about the shelves.  
"I think there's one here," Esmeralda whispered.  
"Hmm?" Mephianse, the principal, turned around and gave us a quizzical look.  
"Uh-oh!" Esmeralda said, and ducked out of the door. "Let's wait," she told me, "until the principal is teaching class on Dryad day!"  
I nodded. "All right," I replied. "Where to, next?"  
"I'm thinking we should check the Palace of Arts," said Esmeralda. "Madam Kristie wouldn't steal anything, but if it fell into her hands, she would surely keep it in a safe place."  
"Okay," I said. "Lead the way."  
You could see the Palace of Arts above all the buildings in the town. The style and period of the old building did not match the rest of the town; but it certainly wasn't an eyesore. The palace had been recently restored, and the white of its walls shone brilliantly in the summer sun.  
Esmeralda led me into the main hall, which was filled with statues of heroes from days past. I recognized a few. She also pointed out Madam Kristie, a beautiful Naga with rich lavender hair; and Mr. Sotherbee, the small, dog-faced palace steward.  
  
"Hi," Esmeralda said, approaching Kristie where she sat. "Have you ever seen a jewel like this?" she gestured to her core.  
"Well?" Kristie asked, turning to her servant. "Have you ever seen a jewel like it, Sotherbee?"  
"I saw one in the wawehouse bewow!" Sotherbee exclaimed. I tried not to laugh at his manner of speaking. Sotherbee was truly just a little child.  
"Take a look in the warehouse," Kristie told Esmeralda in her smooth voice. "I'll give you the jewel if you need it."  
"Thanks!" Esmeralda told her.  
Sotherbee looked at his employer. "Why?" he asked.  
"A Jumi core will only bring you misfortune!" Kristie whispered. I don't know that Esmeralda heard her, but I did.  
The warehouse was a cluttered bunch of discarded artwork. A disturbing statue at the door made me rush down the stone steps to the level below. I saw a few empty coffins, and some statues. However, one statue caught my attention. Esmeralda gasped, and I realized this was no statue. A tiny woman stood upon a pedestal. She didn't move at all, save for her mouth, and I figured she had to be under some kind of spell. Most interesting about her, however, was the large diamond that she sported at the chest.  
"What's this?" Esmeralda gasped. "What's Lady Diana doing here? Diana!" She called out with her core, and received a response.  
"Do not call me by that name," the woman said, elegantly. "I am no longer a Jumi."  
Esmeralda scowled. "But why?"  
Diana smiled sadly. "The Jumi are doomed. You should give up being a Jumi as well."  
Something clicked in my mind, and I realized that this was Mr. Rubens' "love in Geo."  
"Never!" Esmeralda retorted. "My sisters call me even without their cores! The others are the same! They're all waiting for tears of healing!"  
"The last Jumi with the power to heal, Florina, is dead," Diana told her gently. "There is no way to bring us back."  
"I won't give up!" Esmeralda said hotly.  
"Take your sister's core and leave this place!" Diana said, her demeanor becoming sharp and cold. "The jewel hunter will come!"  
"How come?" Esmeralda asked, shrinking back.  
"Because I told the thief to come and steal my core," Diana explained. "I must decide this once and for all, as the leader of the race. I hope this all comes to an end with my core."  
"No!" cried Esmeralda. "I can't let you do that!"  
I shook my head in agreement.  
Diana smiled at me, amused. "Who is this?" she asked.  
"My knight," Esmeralda replied stiffly.  
"You're no Jumi," Diana observed.  
"No," I agreed, shaking my head. "But I've agreed to protect her."  
Diana laughed then; a beautiful, cascading, musical laugh. "If you still have hope," she said to Esmeralda, "then live on as a Jumi. Your sister's core is right over here."  
I saw a shimmer of light emerge from an old pot, and Esmeralda reached in and took it. It looked identical to hers.  
"Sis…" she said to it. "I won't give up! The Jumi will cry again! I believe it!" she took my wrist. "Let's go!"  
I allowed her to drag me out of the warehouse, casting one last look back at Diana. How could she sacrifice her people so easily?  
I shook the thought from my mind as we walked back into town. Esmeralda wanted to check the jewelry store. I walked in and said hello to Elazul; Esmeralda dashed up to the counter.  
"Don't run inside the store," Alex the jeweler chided.  
"I'm sorry," the young Jumi apologized, "I'm in a hurry. Do you have anything that looks like my core?"  
"Wait!" Elazul called over to her. "So your sisters are..?"  
Esmeralda nodded. "Only the cores are left. They were taken by Deathbringer's army."  
"Oh," Elazul said, in understanding. "so you're looking for the mememtoes of your sisters…" his face became closed and thoughtful.  
"No," Esmeralda told him boldy. "There might be some magic left in their cores. If I had some tears of healing, I could bring them back!"  
Elazul sighed. "The only one of us who can shed tears is Florina, and she isn't with us… Isn't your safety more important? Let me handle it and get back to class."  
Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "What's that sword?" she shot back. "If you're a knight, don't talk like a sissy!"  
Elazul averted his gaze and leaned against the wall. "You're so different from Pearl," he muttered.  
"Um, excuse me," Alex cut in, nervous. "We don't deal in Jumi cores here."  
"Well," Esmeralda said with a broad grin. "how rare. A courteous shopkeeper! And here I thought jewelry stores were the same as morgues." She stepped away from the counter and looked at me. "All right, let's go to the next one."  
"I didn't know there were Jumi in this city…" the jeweler murmured.  
We had to stay a few nights at the inn once again to wait for a Dryad day to roll around; in the meantime, we searched for the last core. Esmeralda was positive she had felt it somewhere, but it was so weak that she didn't know where it was coming from. When the sun rose on Dryad day, however, Esmeralda dragged me out of bed and to the academy. As she had said, the office was empty.  
"Answer me…" she whispered, her core and eyes both shining. After creeping around the room, she tore open a file cabinet and removed another beautiful emerald from within.  
"Found it!" she declared. Then she grew silent. "Does this make me a thief?" she asked, timidly.  
I shook my head. "Not at all. That's your sister, Esmeralda."  
"You're a wonderful knight," she complimented warmly. Then, she paused. "I always wanted to be able to say that," she giggled. "Thanks!"  
We left the academy then. "One left," I said. "Do you think that it might be in one of the shops?"  
"It's not in the jewelry store…" she mused, thoughtfully. "I suppose we could ask around in the café and instrument shop."  
I took her to the café and she stepped behind the counter to talk to the Dove (the Dove are really just giant enchanted teapots) who worked there.  
"Step up to the counter, please," she told her.  
"Say, do you have anything like this?" Esmeralda asked. Her core shone brightly as she showed it off."  
"Who… who the 'eck are you?" demanded the Dove.  
"Do you have any?" the girl repeated.  
"No! Of course not!" For some reason, the Dove seemed very embarrassed.  
Esmeralda shrugged. "I thought you might. Just a hunch, I guess." With that, we left the café. We entered into the instrument shop next door. While the Dove there was much more polite to us, we found nothing and left.  
"There is the shed, the principal's office… and one more place where the cores respond," Esmeralda said to me. "I bet it's in the coffee shop! Let's go see!"  
"We already asked-" I began, but she'd already run ahead of me. She ducked through the door and when I caught up with her, she was rooting through the potted plant in the middle of the shop.  
"I knew it was here!" she cried, her core giving off flashes of light.  
"Blimey!" the Dove yelled. "Wot's 'at yore doin'!? You bloody well stop that!"  
Esmeralda's hand emerged, bearing the last Emerald. "It's here!"  
"Oi!" exclaimed the angry shopkeeper. "That's me emerald!"  
Esmeralda turned to glare at the fuming teapot. "This is my sister, and I want her back!"  
I took a step back; What with the tempers of both Esmeralda and the Dove, things could get messy.  
"Wot's 'at gibberish yore sayin'?" the Dove demanded. "You must be out of yore bloody 'ead!"  
"Why, you sure say mean things for a Dove!" Esmeralda accused. She turned to me. "Come on! You're my knight! Fight for me!"  
I shook my head. "Violence is wrong," I murmured, "I can only fight to defend you from harm, not to win you an argument."  
"You musn't strike a lady!" the Dove agreed. "S'truth! Use yore noggin' for once! If you got something to say, I'm listenin'!"  
"You're right," sighed Esmeralda. "I'm sorry. It's a long story. Will you hear me out?"  
"Course," the shopkeeper replied. There was a slight edge to her voice that made me nervous. I wondered if she'd just listen and throw us out.  
  
"…and that's why I'm here," Esmeralda said.  
The Dove's ceramic eyes were spilling teawater all over the floor. "Blimey!" she cried. "Bein' killed for yore cores? That's terrible!"  
"They're not exactly dead," Esmeralda comforted. "Ages ago, the Jumi healed their wounds with tears… So I think I could revive them if only I had some tears of healing."  
The shopkeeper blubbered, "If you needs tears, take mine! Take all you want! They're just teawater, but they're good and pure! You can take them!"  
"Regular tears won't do," the young Jumi explained. "It has to be Jumi tears."  
"Can't you cry, then?"  
"Nope." Esmeralda frowned, slightly. "Jumi tears are shards of life; that's why tears can heal a Jumi. Ages ago, the Jumi put life into their tears and shared them freely. But one day, we couldn't cry anymore… my teacher said that it might be survival instinct…"  
"I don't rightly understand, but you really need 'elp! Go on, take it."  
"Thank you!" Esmeralda smiled.  
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it gently to the Dove.  
Esmeralda and I walked outside together, my young guardian frowning. "That's odd," she mused. "Oh well. It must be because a Dove is an enchanted being…"  
"What?" I asked her.  
"Huh?" her large green eyes widened and looked up at me, suddenly remembering my presence. "Oh, it's nothing," she said.  
I shrugged, and let it go. I guessed it couldn't be of too much importance.  
As we walked back through the streets of Geo, something blew down in front of us. It was hard to see; it and the street were almost the same color. Esmeralda ran ahead and lifted up the object.  
"Look, a note!" she said.  
I felt icy fingers grip my heart.  
"It says," she continued, "'The Lucky Clover will be mine.' What are we gonna do?" Her beautiful green eyes were now full of panic and fear. The Lucky Clover must have referred to the set of four emeralds.  
"Stay next to me," I ordered.  
Esmeralda smiled. "Thank you, Leora. But I should go back to the academy. Tell Elazul to be careful! And you be careful, too!"  
Before I could stop her, the young girl left my side and ran through the streets. "Esmeralda!!!" I cried after her, but it was too late. I turned around and ran pell-mell back to the jewelry store.  
Elazul looked up at me, questioningly. "Where's Esmeralda?" he asked.  
"A note came," I gasped, out of breath.  
"What?!" Elazul cried. "We should go find Esmeralda, now! Let's go!"  
We left the store together and ran back to the academy, narrowly avoiding knocking down a group of students. When we arrived, I had a split in my side and Elazul's cheeks were pink. I stood, bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. When I looked up, I saw a welcome, yet very upsetting sight.  
Inspector Boyd, who I'd met in Gato, stood at the top of the stairs leading to the entrance of the academy. He didn't look happy at all. "We were too late!" he cursed. "Esmeralda's gone! She's been kidnapped by the jewel hunter!"  
"You have to find her, Leora!" Elazul told me urgently.  
"Where could they have gone?" I asked, desperately.  
"I'm checking the town," Boyd ordered. "You check the outskirts and the palace of arts."  
Once again, I ran through the dusty streets, Elazul just ahead of me. The palace of arts loomed ahead of me; it seemed painfully far away. On our way, unfortunately, we found no signs of Esmeralda nor her abducter.  
When we finally burst into the palace, Mr. Sotherbee looked up, alarmed. "Has something happened?" he asked.  
"Have you-" pant "-seen-" pant "-a girl with-" pant "green hair?" I gasped.  
Kristie furrowed her brow, concerned, and nodded. "That kid went to the warehouse."  
"Thanks," Elazul told her. We couldn't have gone down there faster.  
"Esmeralda!" cried a voice. I vaguely remembered it as Diana's. It gave me a short stab of hope in my chest. We couldn't be far behind.  
Elazul regarded the motionless woman on the pedestal. "A diamond Jumi?" he asked, surprised.  
She smiled. "I am the one who was once called Diana, in the Jumi city. Young Jumi knight, can you save her?"  
Elazul puffed up his chest proudly. "Of course!"  
"Then, I leave it to you. They are downstairs."  
I hadn't noticed the second set of stairs in the corner the first time I'd been here. They led down to a large, open arena. I suspected that there had once been battles for sport here, before that sort of thing had become frowned upon. We skidded to a halt, nearly tripping, when we saw the jewel beast that stood before us. It was the same as the monster Sandra had thrown at me in the Tower of Leires, save for this one's coloring was different.  
This beast was also stronger and more experienced than the last. I found that it was difficult to hit, and at one point it threw me back into the wall. I cried out and didn't get up. I found I could open my eyes, and let them focus again.  
Elazul gave a cry and slashed at the beast's head. It snapped at him, and I shut my eyes. The beast had visually wounded his arm. Luckily, it wasn't his sword arm. "My core is still whole!" Elazul declared. He performed the Laser Blade technique, and the beast stumbled back, obviously hurt from the bright beam.  
I staggered to my feet. I couldn't do much, but my sword had enough energy in it to perform the Impulse move. I leaped up in the air and came crashing down, sending a shockwave through the floor. It knocked the jewel beast over, and I could only sit there and rest. Luckily, Elazul was there to finish the job, and the monster disappeared in a dazzling display of colors and sparkles.  
We both looked around wildly, and saw a door leading into another open arena. It was there we found Esmeralda and Sandra.  
"I can't shed tears…" Esmeralda was saying. "Not even for myself… not even for my sisters!" she looked very frustrated.  
Sandra smirked over at us. "Looks like you're too late," she commented.  
"NO!"I screamed. I dashed at the horrible woman, but before I knew it, she'd taken Esmeralda's core and teleported away. I fell to my knees as the young Jumi--the guardian I had failed to protect--disappeared in a pulse of green light.  
"Dammit!" Elazul cursed. It was hard to tell which of us was hurt more by this development. By and by, we staggered back up the stairs to address Diana once again.  
"I'm sorry…" Elazul told her.  
"I knew it would happen," said Diana in her simple way. "I believe the jewel hunter wants to have revenge on all the Jumi."  
"Revenge?" Elazul asked, confused.  
"Bring your guardian here with you," Diana instructed. "I shall tell you then. I give you this as proof of my promise." A large, expensive-looking bar of silver rolled its way out from under her robes. "Allow me to return you to your guardian."  
I closed my eyes, and Elazul and I allowed ourselves to be teleported. We found ourselves outside of my house.  
"I want to cry," I confessed to Elazul.  
His pupils shrank and his eyes widened. "No! Leora, don't!" he yelled.  
"What?" I blinked, taken aback.  
"You can't cry. You can't cry for us, or else…" Elazul's deep blue eyes connected with mine, and I knew he was serious.  
We heard the front door open, and Pearl peeked out. Upon seeing her partner, she smiled and began to approach us.  
"I must tell her about Esmeralda and Diana…" Elazul murmured.  
"This house it so…nice…" Pearl said to him, in her high, silky voice. Her manner of speaking was almost like a lullaby to me in my state. "Elazul, over here…" she took his wrist and began to lead him inside. I followed.  
"Not just yet," he said, completing his thought when Pearl couldn't hear. "She looks so happy."  



	8. Cosmo

  
  
  
From that day forth, Elazul remained at my house as well. We both felt it was too dangerous to go outside much. The jewel hunter was after Pearl, wouldn't think twice about taking Elazul's core, and knew who I was by now. She'd probably kill me.  
Elazul wanted to tell Pearl about Esmeralda and Diana, and what had happened in Geo, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Pearl was just so happy! Some days, when it was time to harvest, I'd wake up and go out to the orchard, only to find that Pearl had already completed half the job.   
Bud and Lisa now knew all about Elazul and Pearl, and that they were Jumi. Although Elazul was still pretending to be a lot tougher (emotionally speaking) than he really was, he still got on fine with the little twins. I sent them to town at one point to buy a few extra clothes for Elazul and Pearl; while they didn't display their cores in the typical Jumi fashion, it was much safer.  
Now that there were five people in my house, sleeping became a bit more difficult. I managed to find another old, dusty mattress in my shed, and made a bed for Elazul. I put this in Pearl's partition; and cut that area in half again with another sheet from the ceiling, so they'd have some privacy.  
I redrew the chart of who did what chores when; Elazul and Pearl were more than happy to help out. One night, as we were preparing dinner, Pearl dropped the hint that she'd like to go out.  
"Elazul and I...have a few things to do," she told me. "Business to take care of, he says..."  
"You're saying you want to go out," I said, finishing her thought. I paused, leaving my spiny carrot only half-chopped. "Are you sure that's safe?"  
"Elazul said it might be a risk we'd have to take..." Pearl said, blushing.  
I nodded, and resolved to bring it up at the dinner table later.  
"Yes, that's right," Elazul told me, when asked about it. "We've got to go out and do a few things. I wanted to go investigate in Gato, and Pearl's going to Domina."  
"Is it safe to go out alone?" I asked him, alarmed.  
Elazul sighed. "I'm sure it isn't, but we can't go with anyone. No, not even you, Leora."  
"Well," I told him, "I disapprove. I'm totally against it. However, I can't stop you."  
Pearl blushed, and bit her lip. "I'm sorry," Elazul told me, "but it has to be done. We've got to take care of this business."  
By morning, they'd already left. I was very unhappy that they'd worn their normal clothes; clothes that exposed their cores. I moped around the house all day, too worried for their safety to do much, physically. Finally, I just decided to leave the door open, so I'd hear one of them coming back, if possible.  
It was mid-afternoon when I heard heavy footsteps coming up the front walk. That was funny. It was obviously Elazul, but Pearl should have been back first. I stepped out the door.  
"Did Pearl come?" he asked me.  
I shook my head. "Not yet."  
"So then, this note..!"  
I froze, as Elazul handed me a crumpled piece of stationery. It was the same that Sandra always used.  
"Dammit!" Elazul swore. "The jewel hunter has kidnapped her!"  
"Let's find her," I told him, all ready to go.  
"I am grateful..." he said. "But we have no clues... Let's check outside."  
We left my house after I grabbed my sword, and looked about.  
"There are footprints here," I commented, "but not that many. Maybe if we could trace some from Domina..."  
"But so many people go in and out of there," Elazul protested.  
"True..." I agreed. Then I studied the dirt on the ground again. "Look," I said. "These are my footprints, and those are yours." I pointed to two different sets. "The little ones belong to Bud and Lisa... Pearl's shoes make a pretty unique print."  
"And the jewel hunter wears heeled boots... Leora, I really have to hand it to you," Elazul said, impressed.  
We walked to the outskirts of Domina and were careful not to disturb anything. Sure enough, we found the set of prints we wanted heading towards the south.  
"South of here is Mekiv Caverns," I mused. "I guess they could have gone there." Following the prints, it turned out I was right. We entered the caves.  
A mad mallard sat on a rock, smoking a cigarette. I was surprised. I'd heard of these docile monsters, but this was the first time I'd seen one. He blew smoke in my face, and I coughed, waving it away.  
"What are you two up to?" he asked, suspiciously.  
"We are looking for a friend," Elazul said. "Have you seen her? Speak the truth, or else."  
"Don't threaten me!" the duck shot back, irritated. "You're talking about an innocent little girl, right? She was with some lady."  
Elazul gazed at the duck intently. "A lady with orange flowers?"  
"Yeah, her!" the mallard said, blowing smoke out its mouth. "She was wearing a green skirt, and her legs were just fantastic!"  
"So, which way did they go?"  
"They took the path on the upper right!"  
"Pearl!" Elazul said, his core resonating. "We must hurry!" he told me.  
I didn't have to be told twice. We raced through the caverns, not stopping until we reached a Sproutling... it was the same one we'd run into our first time in here.  
"People don't come here often," it remarked, "but I saw two girls go by just a second ago. They went straight..." it moved, and walked to one of the paths off of the fork that was before us. "...this way."  
We thanked it and moved on. At one point, though, Elazul stopped running and clutched at his core. "My core... getting cloudy..." he gasped. "Pearl... where could she be..?"  
I looked around the room, and was startled to see a hunched-over creature standing in the corner. He looked humanoid; his face was covered in whiskers, his arms were long and gangly, and his back was covered simply in burlap. He also wore a few necklaces around his neck, none of which seemed to match.  
"I saw the stone here," he said, his voice deep and scratchy. "A tiny stone, giving off beautiful light. It was like starts in the night sky." He then bowed to Elazul and I. "Well, what is it you seek?" he asked.  
"Have you seen a girl with Pearls go by here?" I asked him.  
"Are you two friends? Then you'd better hurry." His face remained, for the most part, unchanged as he spoke. It was eerie.  
"I know!" Elazul shot back, impatient. "Which way did they take her?"  
"They took Pearl straight through this middle path," he said.  
I began to dash down it, but Elazul called "Wait!" after me.  
I turned around and looked at him expectantly. "No..." he said, after a moment. "It's nothing."  
I began down the path again, but stopped. "How do you know Pearl's name?" I asked the creature.  
"She is a Jumi, is she not?" he said. "There is a legend... that whoever sheds tears for a Jumi shall turn to stone. This is to forbid contact between the Jumi and others. I think I know why..."  
I shivered. He was warning me, too. I didn't know whether or not to believe the legend.  
Elazul approached me and squeezed my shoulder. "I have a bad feeling about this..." he confessed. "My core has never clouded so much before..."  
We continued through the tunnel, Elazul looking a bit gray, until we heard voices.  
"Pearl..." he whispered.  
"Well?" came Sandra's voice. "Have you remembered your true purpose?"  
As we emerged into the clearing, I saw Pearl respond with frustration. "How many times are you going to ask me?" she said, her voice high and strained. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"  
"Why, you..!!" Sandra said, glaring at Pearl.  
"Get away from Pearl!" Elazul yelled.  
"Elazul!" Pearl cried.  
Sandra grinned. "Hehe, I've been waiting," she told Elazul.  
"Hand Pearl over, now!" the Jumi knight ordered.  
Sandra raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like a woman who would listen to you?" she asked, condescendingly.  
It all happened in just a few seconds.  
"I'll make you listen with this sword!" Elazul screamed.  
"Too late!" Sandra said. In an instant, she had something shiny in her hand, and threw it at Elazul's chest. It went straight through him, and a crack appeared in his core. Elazul gave a cry of acute pain, and fell to his knees.  
"Elazul!!!" cried Pearl.  
I knelt beside Elazul, and examined his core. It was intact, but there was still a large crack running through it. He was gasping in pain and had one hand to his chest. His breaths came in gulps. I glared at Sandra.  
"Pearl," she said in her silky voice, "Your dear Elazul's core is scratched!"  
"Pearl..." Elazul choked.  
"What now, my pretty?" Sandra continued. "Will you not save your night with tears of compassion?"  
What was it with her and tears?  
"Don't listen...to her..." Elazul whispered.  
"Elazul..." Pearl said, her face sad.  
"Sandra," came another voice. "Stop that." I turned my head and saw the strange creature from before waddle in.  
Sandra's eyes widened. "The king..." she said, in awe.  
"It's pointless to hurt each other," he told her.  
"I cannot stand this girl!" Sandra cried, her face furious. "and all the Jumi! Why do you not cry? Answer me, Pearl!"  
Pearl shook her head, helpless. "No matter how said... I cannot shed tears. We can't cry!"  
"You are incapable of healing!" Sandra spat. "You are just a princess!"  
"That's right," Pearl said, sadly. "We Jumi lost our tears many ages ago..."  
Sandra sneered. "The Jumi did lose something, but tears it was not... Listen to what your core tells you!" Pearl said nothing, so she continued. "Still you fail to understand. Even you, heiress to the memories of antiquity... Jaded stones who lost their power! Elazul the knight and Pearl the guardian! Both your cores are now mine!"  
I leapt to my feet, completely ready to kill her. However, Sandra hesitated and Pearl was whispering to herself... "I don't need the power to heal... Just give me the power to fight!" she looked up at Sandra, her face full of anguish. Then, suddenly, Pearl's whole body lit up, so bright I couldn't bear to look. When the light died, Pearl was not standing there anymore... the woman there was a completely different person...  
The woman from the tower... from the room of fate... the woman from Pearl's past wasn't related to Pearl, she was Pearl!  
"Blackpearl!" gasped the jewel hunter.  
"Do you really wish to battle with me, Sandra?" asked the one called Blackpearl.  
"No! I would never do such a..." Sandra panicked and ran to the next room. I followed her, and found that Blackpearl was close behind me.   
Sandra, afraid, threw yet another of her jewel beasts at us. It was the same as the others... not as powerful as the one in Geo, but stronger than the one in Leires. I, however, had nothing to worry about. Blackpearl wielded an axe that was bigger than she was! I had time in the fight to study the woman. Was she really Pearl? She had to be... but her core was black...pitch black.  
When the beast had been defeated, Sandra ran back into the other room, where Blackpearl cornered her. She looked at the rest of us and said, "I cannot believe she would just throw away someone who is like a sister to her."  
"Is Florina alive?" Blackpearl asked, calmly.  
"Didn't she always say," Sandra replied, smiling shakily, "'Always find the answer yourself'?"  
"I remember..."Blackpearl said, thoughtfully.  
"I'll be going now," Sandra said, walking away. "We'll meet again, Jumi knight."  
Her eyes locked with Elazul's, and I couldn't look. The pain in his eyes was too great.  
"Pearl..." he whispered.  
Blackpearl turned towards the downed knight. "Pearl is gone. You are now free, Lapis knight. I am sorry for the pain I caused you." With that, she, too, exited the caverns.  
"We must not let this beautiful stone die..." murmured the creature that Sandra had called king. Then he, too, was gone.  
"Elazul...come on. I'll get you back to my home," I told him, gently.  
He groaned, but managed to get his arms around my neck. Together, we staggered out of the caverns.  
It was the middle of the night when we reached home. Knowing his makeshift mattress wasn't very comfortable, I put him on my bed. He was beginning to run a fever, so I put a wet towel over his forehead. Though it brought his fever down, the fact remained that his core had been damaged.  
Please don't die, I thought. I sat by his side all night, fearing the worst. When morning came, Bud and Lisa came upstairs and were horrified at the sight.  
"I'll go get some medicine!" Lisa said.  
"That won't help," he brother told her.  
Lisa looked hurt. "How come?" she asked.  
"This guy's a Jumi. Medicine doesn't work on them."  
"But..." Lisa protested.  
Elazul groaned and shifted his weight on my bed. "Pearl..." he murmured.  
  



	9. Two Pearls

  
  
  
  
Elazul's condition failed to improve the next few days, but he wasn't getting worse. I had the sinking feeling that he'd be crippled for life, but Elazul seemed to have other plans. I sat by his bedside, day and night, refusing to leave him for fear of him getting worse.  
He hardly spoke, and refused to eat. I could hardly get him to drink the juice that he sipped on reluctantly. One day, I thought his core looked a bit better, but it could have been just me. He seemed a bit better, however, so I left him to nap alone for awhile while I did chores. His eyes were open when I came upstairs with the dinner he probably wouldn't eat.  
"Must...find...Pearl..." he moaned, then winced at a pain. "Urgh..."  
"What is it?" I asked him, gently.  
Elazul took a deep breath. "I want to protect Pearl!" he wheezed. "I don't know what Sandra and the other one are up to... but I won't--" his voice began to trail off. "Let them--hurt Pearl!" he shut his eyes in pain and cried out once more.  
"I'll go look for her," I promised him. "I'll check the surrounding areas and see if I can find her."  
This satisfied him, and he finally choked down some cornflowerbread and mashed masked potatoes.   
The next morning, as promised, I left to look for Pearl. I checked all of the surrounding areas... Mekiv Caverns, the jungle, the Mindas Ruins, Luon highway, Lake Kilma... my search proved nothing more than fruitless, but this was as far as I could go. I couldn't go anywhere out of short walking range from my home, as I needed to take care of Elazul.  
I returned home at twilight, discouraged.  
"Welcome home," Lisa said, as I walked in the door. She and Bud were sitting at the table, eating dinner. "Sorry we didn't wait for you."  
I shook my head. "No matter. I'll eat later. How's he doing?"  
"A little better," Bud said, cheering me up slightly. "He's sleeping right now."  
I went into the kitchen and chopped up some sweet moai. Putting these into a pot, I shelled some lilipods and chopped some spiny carrots. These went into the pot along with some milk. After I seasoned it, I let that simmer on the stove. Once it was hot and cooked through, I filled two bowls with the soup, put it on a tray, and took it upstairs.  
Elazul stirred, upon hearing me. I helped him sit up and propped pillows behind him for support. Then I handed him the tray, keeping my own bowl for myself.  
"What about Pearl?" he rasped, looking at me with hope in his eyes.  
I considered lying to him for a split second, to make him feel better, but that would accomplish nothing but hurting his feelings. I decided to tell him the truth. "I can't find her," I told him. "I don't know where she is."  
"So you can't find her," he whispered. "I'll go--look for her! Ugha!" He groaned in pain as he tried to stand up.  
"No, Elazul," I told him. "You can't. You've got to rest."  
He looked away from me, stubborn.  
"Finish your soup," I instructed. Reluctantly, he did so. "Get some sleep, Elazul. I promise I'll go out again tomorrow."  
I crossed the room to the partition I'd made, and climbed into the bed where Pearl had been sleeping. Some of her things were still here; I was careful not to disturb them. Who knew where she was, or who she was? I sincerely hoped I could find her soon. Pearl had become such a good friend, and I didn't want her to be changed or murdered.  
I finally slipped off to sleep that night, and woke up early. I stood up and stretched, then changed out of my sleepwear. When I emerged from my little partition, I received a rather nasty shock. Elazul was gone.  
I crept downstairs to find Bud and Lisa still asleep in their little room... the library was untouched, as was the main room. I finally found my clue in the kitchen. Some leftover food was strewn about, and I finally saw the little scrap of paper that was tucked underneath the soup pot.  
"Leires," it read, "must find Pearl."  
Oh, Elazul! He thought too much of himself. I hastily scribbled a note to Bud and Lisa on the back of the paper, left it in the front room, grabbed a few applesocks, and dashed out the door.  
The way to Leires was longer than I remembered, and slower than I would have liked because I had to use my map. I reached the plains by mid-afternoon, but I couldn't see the purple glow anywhere. I simply had to waste precious hours until it got dark enough to navigate by the tower itself. When I could finally see it, I didn't stop running until I reached the Gate of Ravens, where I found Elazul collapsed on the ground.  
"Elazul!" I cried out, alarmed. I helped him stand up.  
He coughed once, then looked up at me. "It's nothing," he said. He did look a lot healthier, now. "Pearl must be in that room," he continued. "Will you come with me?"  
I nodded.  
"Let's go!" he ordered, and I followed him into the tower.  
This time around, the monsters didn't seem so tough. Even in his weakened condition, Elazul was an excellent fighter, and his techniques were matched by no one. By now, we both knew of all the shortcuts in the tower as well. We reached the eleventh floor without much trouble; I thought Elazul was having trouble breathing, but he wouldn't show it and I could do nothing for him.  
I started to open the door to the Room of Fate.  
"Wait!" Elazul called. "I heard the Door of Fate opens only to the one who knows the person inside. Pearl is inside. I'll open it." He pushed hard on the metal doors, but they didn't move. "Ugh!" he cried. "Resist me, will you? My memories are not enough to open the door!" Elazul stepped back, looking almost heartbroken. "Pearl..."  
Just trying it out, I approached the door and pushed it. My heart fluttered when it opened without a hitch. I met Elazul's eyes, nervously. He shook his head. Now was not the time to ask questions. We entered the room.  
The sight, to me, was all too familiar. There was Pearl, and across from her stood the woman that she had changed into back in the caverns.  
"That knight is...!!" Elazul gasped.  
Both women in the room ignored him. "Pearl," Blackpearl cooed softly. "Your goal is to reach the stratum of Clarius."  
"Yes," Pearl replied, her eyes glazed over.  
"Pearl, you will become the Clarius," continued Blackpearl.  
"Yes..."  
"You will succeed Florina and give your life to the race."  
"Yes," Pearl said, once again.  
"Pearl," Blackpearl said, looking at her intensely. "You will shed your life as tears and give it to everyone."  
Pearl said nothing.  
"You will continue giving your life until it is no more."  
Pearl's eyes suddenly regained some of their sparkle. "No," she said, quietly.  
"Listen to me," Blackpearl ordered. "It is the best way. She will come back with the Mana Sword and the power of the Mana Stone." Her voice was so chilling, so convincing, that I felt the spirituality of what she'd just said. "You must persevere until then," she concluded, gazing hard at Pearl.  
"No," Pearl protested. "I don't want do die."  
"You must!" Blackpearl commanded.  
"No!!" cried Pearl.  
"Stop it!" Elazul yelled, not wanting to watch any more of this.  
"Elazul," Pearl said, smiling a bit at him.  
Blackpearl looked Elazul over with her piercing brown eyes. "Jumi of Lapis Lazuli, you need not interfere," she said.  
"Pearl is my partner!" Elazul shot back.  
"Back off," warned Lady Blackpearl, "or you will die."  
"I promised I would protect her," Elazul told her, his chin high. "I cannot back off!"  
"Please!" Pearl turned to me, begging. "Help Elazul!"  
I nodded. "Of course."  
"Foolish death-seeker," sneered Blackpearl. "Well, fine. I do not wish to defile this place. Come, let us fight below."  
"Very well..." Elazul said, quietly. He looked very scared.  
"Pearl, you just wait here," Blackpearl said. The quivering girl made no reply. "Do not worry," continued Blackpearl. "Your destiny is predetermined."  
"Pearl," Elazul told her. "It's all right. I'll come back for you."  
Pearl smiled. "All right."  
"Prepare yourself and go," ordered Blackpearl. "I will follow."  
We traveled down to the bottom of the tower, Elazul and I, a somber duo. Blackpearl was a distance behind us. When we reached the entrance hall, she smiled cruelly and pulled out her axe. I gulped. This could prove difficult.  
I was not mistaken. The three of us were a tangle of blades in the middle of the room. It was all I could do to stop myself from hitting Elazul on accident. Just as I was charging my blade for a Shield Breaker, however, Blackpearl lashed out with a triple laserbeam from her axe. I fell to the floor, hurt. Elazul, even in his weakened state, refused to give up. He extended a hand to me and blocked Blackpearl's attacks with his sword.  
I was extremely grateful that he cared enough to get me off the ground. We truly were friends, no matter how he chose to act at times.  
I performed my Shield Breaker on Blackpearl, who stumbled back and cried out. This gave Elazul the opening he needed. With one Bird of Prey move, it was all over. He leaped up into the air and she never saw him coming.  
"Heh..." Blackpearl said, putting her weapon away and wiping blood from a cut on her face, "most impressive, Lapis Knight."  
"We have a deal," Elazul told her coldly. "You'll leave Pearl alone."  
"Yes," nodded the woman. "For a while..."  
"I don't want to fight you anymore," said Elazul.  
"Pearl is mine," Blackpearl stated. "She will come back to me. Face it."  
I looked at Elazul. He obviously understood what she was saying, but didn't want to explain it to me. Blackpearl smiled at me sadly. "He who cries for a Jumi shall turn to stone. You be careful. The old saying is true, Leora. Stay away from them."  
She flipped her hair up, carelessly. I noticed just how much like Pearl's it was. One braid instead of two; that was the only difference.  
"Well, good-bye," she said, and disappeared. The moment after she did, Pearl walked in from around the corner.  
"Pearl..?" Elazul asked, a smile growing on his face.  
"Elazul," Pearl replied, gently.  
"Let's go," he told her.  
Pearl nodded. "All right. Thank you."  
"Thanks for your hospitality," Elazul told me. "Perhaps we'll meet again."  
I blinked, as they walked out the tower together. Once again, the mysterious couple was all but lost to me.  
  



	10. Alexandrite

  
  
  
I managed to keep Elazul and Pearl from my mind for about a week, but one morning, Bud and Lisa insisted on bringing them up at the breakfast table.  
"Why didn't Elazul and Pearl come back with you?" Lisa asked me, her eyes wide.  
I looked up at her from slicing open a honey onion. "They need to be on their own, I guess," I replied. "Elazul's got a mission, and Pearl..." Could I tell them about Blackpearl? "Pearl's his partner. They can't do what they've set out to do hiding out here forever."  
Bud spread butter and honey on his toast. "But they're Jumi," he said critically. "Some of the very last ones. What if they get killed?"  
My heart caught in my throat; I didn't want to think about anything like that. Though I might never see them again, they were truly great friends of mine. Pearl had proved so bright and bubbly when she finally opened up to me, and Elazul was a lot nicer a person than he pretended to be. I guess he had to put up the cold surface in public, but the unfeeling Elazul was not the true Elazul.  
I sat down in front of my toast, buttered a slice, then picked up a jar. It was strangely light. I opened it up and looked inside, then up at the elven twins. "All right," I said to them. "Who went through all the diceberry jam? They're not in season right now; this was supposed to last us the whole month!"  
Neither of them spoke up.  
"This jar was three-quarters full yesterday," I persisted. Still, no one said anything.  
I stood up. "All right, then," I said. "I'll just trade for some at market today. But one of you has to come with me, I need help."  
I packed up all my summer produce in a cart, hooked up Truffle, the Chocobo, and hopped up onto his back. Bud, chosen to go with me, rode in front of me. When we got to Domina, I set up my stall and began to mark prices. I had tons of mush-in-a-boxes and pine o'clocks, so I made those the deal for the day. I also strung minute honey onions from the ceiling and advertised larger ones upon request.  
Around noon, when we'd sold about half of the wares, I took some of the money we'd made and ambled over to another booth. "Have you got diceberry jam?" I asked.  
The petit old woman behind the counter smiled. "I certainly have," she said, "but I'm afraid it's not exactly cheap."  
"How much?" I asked.  
"150 Lucre per jar," she said. "I know it's terribly expensive, but since diceberries aren't in season..."  
"It's all right," I told her, pulling out three 100 Lucre coins. "I'll take two jars."  
As I turned around, I thought I caught a glimpse of a sandy-green cape... my heart leaped, and I took a few steps away. I smiled to myself, crazy, as I saw the two braids in the back of the head of the girl who was following him. Elazul and Pearl! I had to go see them. Rushing back to the booth, I gave the jars to Bud. "Here, take these," I said. "Don't you dare eat them! I've got business to attend to."  
Bud looked alarmed. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.  
"I don't know," I told him. "Just be good, will you?"  
With that, I ran back to the pub. There was Elazul, in his usual corner, accompanied by Pearl. He smiled upon seeing me.  
"I want to visit Diana in Geo," he said, "so, I was hoping perhaps you could take Pearl."  
"Sure!" I said, enthusiastically.  
"Thank you," Elazul told me, relief on his face. "I feel safe knowing you're watching over her. "There is a place I must visit," he explained. "You go on ahead. Pearl, be careful."  
"Okay," Pearl said. "You too, Elazul."  
Elazul nodded, and was off.  
"Elazul thinks it's his fault that he failed to protect Esmeralda." Pearl explained.  
I frowned. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine," I mumbled. "I was supposed to be her knight."  
"You couldn't help it," Pearl said. "She left your side at the worst possible time."  
That was true. I felt a bit better after that. We walked back to market, and explained to Bud that I was taking Pearl to Geo. Then we began to walk back to my home to pack some food. Just in front of the town's exit, however, we saw a piece of paper float down in front of us. I gasped and Pearl suppressed a scream.  
I picked up the paper, carefully, fearing the worst. "Venus' heart will be mine. Catch me if you can, Jumi-lover."  
"What's it say?" Pearl asked, anxiously.  
"She's not after you," I told her. "She's after... Venus?" I remembered back to my reading about gems and the Jumi. Venus wasn't the name of a person, it was the name of a stone. That stone was... a diamond! "Diana!" I cried. "Pearl, we've got to get to Geo right now. We can't risk going back to my house, in those few hours it could be too late!"  
Pearl quivered. "What about food?" she asked.  
"I have money," I said. "We'll buy some there."  
Even though the main roads were often busy with carts, we went this way anyway. We were on foot, after all, so traffic wasn't so bad. At one point, though, we managed to hitch a ride with someone. He only went as far as Polpota, but the harbor town was near enough to Geo. We reached there about six in the afternoon.  
"Where is Diana?" Pearl inquired.  
"The Palace of Arts," I replied. "I'll take you there, come on."  
We reached the palace; I was relieved to see it wasn't closed. I entered, smiled to Kristie and Sotherbee a bit, then went down to the warehouse with Pearl.  
"She was right..." I began. My voice trailed off when I saw what had happened.  
"Diana...crystallized?" Pearl asked, in confusion. Indeed, the beautiful, petit Jumi woman had turned completely into a Diamond statue. I would have thought it exquisite if I hadn't known that it was a real woman. I hoped Kristie wouldn't sell her. "What should we do?" Pearl wondered.  
"I have no idea," I confessed. I knew nothing of the reason Diana had become a statue.  
"Don't say that," Pearl said, her core shining. "All right! Let's ask those two up there what happened."  
We tromped up the stairs, Pearl a few steps ahead of me. "Do you know why Diana turned into stone?" she asked Kristie.  
Kristie looked confused for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Oh, that diamond Venus statue?" she asked. "I don't know either."  
"I once heard," Sotherbee piped up, "that Jumi who cwose off their hearts turn to stone."  
Pearl's face brightened. "That's not right," she said. Sotherbee looked confused, so she continued. "It's a ceremony of choosing partners. One Jumi first gathers keys of the heart. Then the Jumi awakens a stone guardian to become her knight.  
Kristie leaned in towards her steward. "She is acting weird..." she whispered in uncertainty.  
"It's one of them, madam," Sotherbee told her. "A Jumi."  
"What?" Kristie asked, studying Pearl. "She is..?"  
Pearl gulped. "Uhh... huh? Me?" she pointed to herself, then turned to me. "You're looking for keys of the heart, right? Okay, let's go!" blushing, she pulled me by the wrist out of the palace.  
"Why would Diana do such a thing?" I asked Pearl. Silently, I wondered. Diana had said she wanted the jewel hunter to take her core...perhaps the keys were meant for the jewel hunter. But that didn't make sense... the keys were meant for a Jumi!  
Pearl shrugged. "Maybe to protect herself," she answered. I didn't tell her my theory. Pearl then suggested we search the city for the keys.  
"What if someone's picked them up?" I asked. "Others may be looking for the keys, like--" I caught a glance of Pearl's expression "--Elazul, maybe," I finished. She relaxed. I, though, had other thoughts. The jewel hunter, for one. For another, anyone in town could have picked up a key, wondering what it was.  
Pearl didn't seem to be having any of these ideas at all. Her core shining, she continued through the city, clutching my wrist. Leading me into the instrument shop, her eyes lit up. A golden key lay surprisingly inconspicuously atop a leather drum. "A key!" Pearl breathed. "My core is shining! That must be a key of the heart..."  
iThis is the key of pain. Just a part of Diana's heart./i  
I looked around. Had I heard something?  
"But I don't think this is the only one..." Pearl said. "How strange. Why do I think so?" She shut her eyes, and her core flashed twice. "Looks like there are two more."  
After much searching, we finally located a second key outside the city's gate. It lay on one of the stairs, as if it had been haphazardly discarded. I pointed it out to Pearl.  
"It's a key," she confirmed.  
iThis is the key of pride. Just a part of Diana's heart./i  
"Did you hear something?" Pearl asked me. I was about to nod, but she cut me off. "Maybe it's just my imagination." Her core gave a reassuring sparkle. "Just one more... Where should we look?"  
"Hmm..." I said, resting my head in my hands. "Where else is there to look? Maybe... oh! The principal of the academy had one of Esmeralda's sisters... maybe he'll have a key!" I realized happily that today was Dryad day; we'd be able to search his office without any trouble. We walked to the academy together, and, after making doubly sure that Mephianse was in the classroom, tiptoed into his office.  
The key was sitting out in the open on his desk.  
"A key to her heart!" Pearl exclaimed. "You were right, Leora!"  
iThis is the key of hate. It's just a part of Diana's heart./i  
"I feel...like I'm being watched." Pearl said.  
I tensed up. What if Sandra was nearby? "Are you sure?" I asked her. Pearl shrugged. "Stay close to me, anyway," I told her.  
Pearl nodded. "Looks like that's it. Let's go see Diana."  
When we got back to the palace, Kristie was kind enough to tell us, "We moved the Venus statue to the arena below."  
I remembered the place; it was where Sandra had taken Esmeralda. I shuddered. Now was not the time to be thinking about that particular failure on my part. I needed to concentrate on protecting Pearl and Diana.  
"What a lousy place..." Pearl murmured, when we arrived.  
"Did you find the keys to her heart?" came a male voice. Pearl and I turned around.  
"Elazul!" Pearl exclaimed. We both breathed a sigh of relief. "Were you looking for them too?"  
"Before Diana could meet us," he explained, "she turned herself to stone to avoid being killed by the jewel hunter. Try a key..."  
Pearl removed all the keys from her pocket and held them in front of Diana. They shimmered and disappeared. The diamond statue glowed... and the gem-like shimmer seemed to simply wear off. When this was finished, Diana stood before us, restored.  
"You found my soul," she stated. "Thank you all for coming." All three Jumi's cores blinked in unison.  
"What did you want to say?" Elazul asked her. "The truth about the jewel hunter?"  
Diana nodded. "Yes. But first I must explain the jewel hunter's motive, revenge against the Jumi."  
"Revenge..?" Pearl asked, meekly.  
"You, too, will listen, right?" she asked me.  
"I will," I told her, nodding.  
"In ages past," Diana began, "the Jumi were once called the race of friendship. This was because they tried to preserve themselves by giving tears to the wounded. Tears composed of life itself..."  
"Tears of healing," murmured Pearl. "Teardrop crystals..."  
"But when the age of massive Jumi hunting was over," continued the noble Jumi, "they changed to preserve themselves, so that they could no longer cry, nor give life to others. And so, the Jumi cut themselves off from other races and lived in a hidden city of their own."  
"The Bejeweled City?" Elazul asked, rhetorically.  
"Yes," Diana replied, smiling mildly.  
"And then," came a new voice, "she kidnapped Florina, the only Jumi who could heal with tears, and started a war with Deathbringer!" All four of us froze. We all knew that voice.  
"The jewel hunter!" Pearl cried.  
"Sandra!" growled Elazul.  
"Quite a woman," Sandra continued. "Started a total war with Deathbringer, using Florina as a sacrifice. That's right. As long as we have Florina's tears, the Jumi are invincible. So, what will become of Florina?"  
"That must mean that Florina is still alive," Diana said serenely. "That's wonderful. Bring her here immediately," she commanded. "These children will need her tears."  
Elazul fingered his cracked core. I wondered why Diana was telling Sandra what to do. Did she have that power?  
"Why..?" Sandra growled. "Why must the gentle Florina have her life squeezed out of her, only to die?"  
"Such is the Jumi's way of survival," Diana told her. "Florina does not object."  
"Shut up!" Sandra screamed. Finally, she revealed herself and swung down from the ceiling, landing in front of Diana. "I'll do the same to you!"  
"Wait!" Pearl cried. Sandra glared at her sharply. "We mustn't kill her. We still have to get our tears back." Pearl's voice shook, and I admired her bravery.  
"Pearl..." Elazul whispered.  
"No one is saved through hatred," the quivering girl continued. "We must love each other like we did ages ago."  
"If so," Sandra spat, "why don't you cry!? You'd become the sacrifice instead of Florina!" In that instant, Sandra shot a small, sharp blade at Pearl, who fell to the ground and snatched Diana's core.  
"Diana!" cried Elazul and Pearl.  
Sandra pulled out her grappling hook and climbed up into the darkness. "Impossible," she concluded, still speaking to Pearl. "You couldn't even protect your own guardian!"  
"Diana!" Pearl cried.  
Diana gulped, and uttered her dying words. "One light... is hidden by another... Only Blackpearl can stop her... Find her!"  
Elazul ran up to Diana, but it was too late. She disappeared in a flash of dazzling light. Elazul ripped the blue decoration from his helmet and threw it to the floor, where it shattered. "Dammit!" he cursed.  
Pearl said nothing, but staggered to her feet. Sandra had not harmed her core; she would be all right.  
Noticing something, Elazul knelt down by the spot where Diana had stood. "Look, Pearl!" he whispered. "See what Diana left!"  
Elazul pointed to a green gemstone on the floor. Pearl knelt down next to him and gazed at it. Suddenly, the stone changed from green to purple.  
"It's a different color..." Pearl said, enchanted.  
"We need to think...about ourselves, Jumi, and the jewel hunter," Elazul told her.  
"Yes," Pearl agreed.  
Elazul stood up, looked at me, then turned his back. "You should consider, too... If you are going to cut us loose, do it now. I..." he paused, and his voice cracked. "I shouldn't have brought you into this." With that, he left the room.  
Pearl stood up, fingering the stone that had been left behind. "Goodbye," she told me, softly.  
I hugged her briefly, and told her to be careful. Pearl smiled serenely, then ran off to join Elazul.  
All the pieces of the puzzle were now falling into place. A unique stone that Diana had left behind... green by day, purple by night... Stones without sparkle... revenge... the jewel hunter...  
Sandra, and Alex the jeweler too; it had to be him...  
Alexandrite.  
  



	11. Fluorite

  
  
Now that I knew the truth, I couldn't hesitate any longer. Alone or not, I had to go investigate. I spent the night in the café, and went to the jewelry shop first thing in the morning. Surprisingly enough, nobody was there. Strange... the door had been open...  
Somebody! Come here!  
I stood up straight and looked all around. I knew I'd heard a voice just then, but where was it coming from? A warm haze surrounded me, and I found myself standing before the answer.  
The wooden box was huge, large enough for a human to sit in, and octagonal in shape. The lid popped open, and a small woman smiled out at me. Her auburn hair was done up simply, and her blue robes hung about her body like flower petals in the wind. A whitish-purple core shone out from her chest. A Jumi! This wasn't Alexandrite, though...  
"Hello," she said to me. "I am Florina, the Jumi of Fluorite."  
The healer! She was alive! That meant there could be hope yet for the Jumi.  
"Alex hides me here, away from the jewel hunter," Florina continued, "but I have a lot of bad dreams..."  
Obviously, Florina didn't know the truth. "Alex does?" I asked her.  
Before she could answer, we both heard a "Pufwa!" from behind us. I turned around, and saw a strange creature floating there. It looked almost like a rag doll, but it spoke with a fairly normal voice.  
"Who are you?" Florina asked, confused.  
"Do not ask who I am!" the doll-thing ordered. "Your nightmares are so bad that even the tapir was scared away! Why are you having such scary dreams? Explain!"  
Florina's mouth hung open, as she searched for a response. "How am I supposed to know?" she asked, on the defensive. "I should be safe in here."  
"Safe?" the thing chortled. "Ha! I can't even go for a walk in your dreams." It paused again. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself. I am Belle, the witch."  
Florina raised her eyebrows. "Well, pleased to meet you," she said courteously. "I am Florina, Jumi of Fluorite. And this is..."  
"Leora," I supplied.  
"Why, hello, Leora," Belle said to me. "Looks like you were drawn here by the gravity of her nightmares... but nightmare gravity theory is something I'll discuss later. Yes."  
"What do you mean, 'drawn here'?" inquired Florina.  
"Dreams," Belle explained, "are structurally complex things. The memories of day become the dreams of night. So dreams are based on the world of reality. Dreams are created by the self. Dreams change when reality changes."  
Florina shook her head. "I just don't understand." I, myself, suspected that Florina was hiding something... I didn't doubt she was confused, but I didn't think she was telling us everything, either.  
"Well, all I can say is 'have a nice dream!'" Belle crowed. "That's all. This person was called to enter your dreams and kill the bad bugs inside!"  
"Huh?" I asked.  
"Well, are you ready?" the witch asked me.  
"Yeah, I guess," I replied.  
"Well, here we go!" Belle cried. I closed my eyes as I felt the solid ground below me disappear. I didn't open them again until I felt my feet touch home. When I looked around, I found that I was in the Duma Desert...only it wasn't the desert I knew, the colors had been muted all around. This was truly inside a dream. I looked around. Oh, jeez! Why was Niccolo in Florina's dream? Perhaps they'd met...  
"Hello there!" Nic said to me. "I'm the wandering Niccolo, peddler of smiles! I'll guide you into Florina's dream, for the special low price of 200 Lucre!"  
What could I do? I hadn't a choice. I didn't want to get lost in the dream. I fished the money out of my pocket--money which was no dream--and handed it to him.  
"You sure know how to make the most of your money," Nic said, grinning.  
"Heh," I said back to him. He led me through the desert.  
We stopped when we reached a huge group of... fish-men? Florina was having strange dreams. Among them, I noticed one humanoid... a girl.  
"Why can't I breath? Are my gills clogged?" murmured one fish. "Nope, that's not it. It's because your sighs take my breath away."  
"When I see your sad face," another said, "it makes me sad, too. That's why I'll always be with you. Because I want to see your smile."  
The girl looked revolted. "Get away!" she cried. "Don't touch me! Get out of here!" she took a ragged breath, and continued. "I hate scales! I hate fins! And I hate gills! Aaaaaah!" she shrieked. "I hate it all!"  
Could that represent Florina being trapped somewhere she didn't like? It was a possibility. I talked to Niccolo again, who charged me another 200 Lucre to take me to the next spot.  
Here, there was a small, walking cactus. Huh? It looked just like the one I had at home... but I guess it couldn't be the same one. "Desert, the desert!" it sang. "The desert is the home of my soul. Yup." The little cactus smiled. "I like desserts, too, but I can't live in a dessert. Nope."  
Some dreams make no sense whatsoever... I hoped this was one of them. I paid Nic yet more money, and this time I hit pay dirt in the dreamworld. There stood Elazul and Blackpearl, deep in discussion.  
"A Lapis knight?" asked Blackpearl. "What is your destiny?"  
Elazul bowed his head. "I have none."  
"Are you saying you are a knight with no one to protect? A Jumi all alone in the world is just like a pebble in the desert." Blackpearl looked at him critically.  
"With Florina's tears," the young knight declared, "my destiny shall be revived."  
"I have heard enough!" Blackpearl ejaculated. "I would never cut away her life for a cowardly knight who let his guardian die!" Then, a funny thing happened. Blackpearl took a few steps away, and where she had been standing, there was an apparition of Pearl. Elazul, came her voice, I'm sorry. I can't cry for you anymore...  
"Pearl!" Elazul cried, then turned to Blackpearl. "If my anger was what kept you moving, then the light of the Clarius will go on huring people. The destiny of us stones is to heal and soothe, shining with light from the sun. So long as men fight over us, we light the flames of anger, and forget the power to heal. If that truly is our destiny, should we just destroy everything? What do you say, Lady Blackpearl?"  
She said nothing; Elazul continued. "Blackpearl... I have not your strength... the strength to destroy it all. I can only do one thing... open a small exit."  
With that, they parted and faded from my sight. Hoping I'd see them again, I continued to let Niccolo guide me through the desert. A while later, I saw exactly who I was hoping to. They seemed to be continuing where they had left off.  
"Pearl!!" Elazul cried. "Let me protect you, just once more!"  
"I am not Pearl," Blackpearl told him. "I am a knight with a core of darkness. My destiny is fluorite. The beating in my chest is the black core, my true self. Away with you, Elazul!"  
Elazul looked angry. "Florina already had a knight called Alexandra... the lonely pebble in the desert is you, Blackpearl!"  
Blackpearl's lips were tight. "Once," she admitted "when my black core died, I left Florina with Alexandra."  
"Are you saying you'll turn back into Pearl if you cut away your black core, Blackpearl?" Elazul unsheathed his sword.  
"Care to give it a try?" Blackpearl asked, her eyes sparkling dangerously.  
Elazul sighed. "Blackpearl..." he said. "A knight should protect but one guardian." He put his sword away. "Everyone has a little power," he said, "and by combining our strength, we become a force to be reckoned with. What are you protecting, Blackpearl!?"  
"Florina shed tears for all Jumi. That is why I must fight... fight all who threaten the Jumi." She turned away, the expression on her face unreadable."  
Elazul narrowed his eyes. "Don't turn your back on me, Blackpearl," he growled. "That's why I can see my own destiny. Pearl."  
Blackpearl said nothing; she simply departed. After a minute, Elazul did the same. Still a bit dazed yet, I reluctantly parted with even more of my money to see the rest. I wondered when this would end.  
When we came to the next clear area and I saw Sandra and Blackpearl, my mood dampened. While this was important, I was getting tired. I desperately wanted to leave and think everything over elsewhere.  
"Blackpearl..." Sandra was saying. "We are allies, right? What did you come here for?"  
Blackpearl scowled. "To the underworld I shall take you. I shall shut you away in darkness so you may never hurt others again."  
Sandra shook her head. "Even with only a thousand Jumi lives, Florina will recover! You know how many Jumi lives Florina can save, do you not?"  
"Fool" shouted Blackpearl. "Everything will just be repeated! After your powers are gobbled up, you will hunt more Jumi lives and replenish your strength. How long will you continue this?"  
"As long as we Jumi cling to life," Sandra said, her chin up defiantly. Her eyes glinted, and Blackpearl suddenly fell to the ground.  
"Do not...mock me!" Blackpearl gasped.  
"It is over, Blackpearl. Looks like your heart of blackness will not last in the desert."  
"Aaarg..." moaned the fallen knight. She collapsed face-first into the warm sand. As she did, I saw Pearl's apparition once again.  
That girl will be here soon...hang on!  
"I need...no help..." Blackpearl murmured. Sandra chose this moment to run away. Blackpearl disappeared, and I heard a familiar gnashing... oh, hell, not another jewel beast! How many of these did Sandra have? By now, though, I was so used to fighting them, that it was easy. Although it did drill into the ground and one point, hitting me with a rock, I defeated it and came out with only a few minor cuts and bruises. Once the best was gone, Pearl reappeared, lying in the sand.  
"Pearl!" Elazul's voice cried. He rushed onto the scene.  
"Mmnn..." Pearl muttered, opening her eyes.  
"Are you all right?" asked Elazul, helping her up.  
"Oh, Elazul..." she said, smiling at him. "Yes, I'm okay."  
"What happened to Blackpearl?" Elazul quizzed her. "Why did she turn into you?"  
Pearl took her partners shoulders. "Elazul... I'm all right. How about you?"  
Elazul blinked. "Me? You ask if I'm all right?"  
"Well, Elazul," Pearl continued, a smile on her face and in her voice. "you look a little strange."  
"Hmph," Elazul said, disagreeing. "Let's go, Pearl."  
"All right!" Pearl said. "Let's go!"  
They left, and finally, I saw and felt the desert disappear. In a minute, I was back in Florina's room.  
"Looks like she fell asleep," I heard Belle's voice say. "Now the world of dreams is a bit safer. Many think that dreams are make-believe worlds inside your head... but to dream is merely to view reality through a filter."  
"What dreams she had..." I murmured. "I think I killed the 'bugs' you were referring to, though."  
"Well, I'll be off!" Belle told me cheerfully. "Sweet dreams, kiddo!" she added to the sleeping Florina. "I'll be back if you ever have nightmares again!"  
I finally went home from Geo, and straight to bed. Lying there, I thought everything over. Obviously, I knew nearly the whole story now. The only question was, how was it to be resolved?  
I knew of only four Jumi left alive, and one of them was the jewel hunter herself. I was running out of time.  
  



	12. A Dying Sparkle's Wish

  
  
  
I didn't return to Geo for weeks. I didn't see the point. I doubted Elazul and Pearl would have stayed there, and they weren't around Domina either. Perhaps they'd found a good place to hide. I hoped so. However, the whole ordeal was always on my mind. I must resolve this, I thought to myself, or I'll go completely bonkers!  
I began to attend the St. Mana Church every week in Domina. I didn't listen to the preacher--sure, everyone knows that the Mana Goddess exists, but the way Reverend Nouvelle preaches about faith and how you need nothing else really gets on my nerves... my survival's in my sword, thanks. At any rate, though, the environment was peaceful, and I always prayed to the Goddess that my friends were all right. As I left there one sunny day, I saw a familiar figure pacing the road...why, it was none other than Inspector Boyd. I walked up and said hello.  
He looked up, and nodded, acknowledging me. "That couple," he mused, "Elazul and Pearl... I haven't seen them since--I wonder if..."  
I felt my stomach knot up tightly. "No, that can't be," I said, hardly believing my words.  
"Yes, yes," the mouse-man said, emptying his pipe dangerously near to my shoe. "you're right. That's right! I have a favor to ask you."  
"Hm?" I asked. "What's that?"  
"I need you to go to Geo, and look for an abandoned building there."  
"An abandoned building?" I asked. "Geo?"  
"Nowadays, Geo is known as a big college town," Boyd said, misinterpreting my question, "but not too long ago, there was a shop that used to sell Jumi cores, a truly despicable business. Of course, now it is deserted, but I want you to find it."  
"Sure!" I said, knowing exactly the building.  
"Right!" Boyd said. "Let's go!"  
When we arrived in Geo, Boyd took me straight to the place I suspected. "Here!" he said, beckoning to the jewelry shop. "This is the place! Mr. Nunuzac used to come her looking for Jumi cores. How disgraceful!" I felt another twang in my stomach. That horrible teacher.  
Inspector Boyd walked up to the entrance and tried to go in, but he couldn't enter. "The door is rusted solid!" he declared. "Can you open it for me?"  
I peeked at the door. "It's open," I told him. "What are you saying?" when I saw his look, I resigned. "Okay, I can open it."  
"That's the spirit!!" he told me. "Come on, just give it a try!"  
I stepped up to the entrance and stuck my hand in. Hmm... this was no door, it was a barrier! I balled my hand into a fist and punched it. I felt the magic shatter without much trouble.  
"Wh-whoa!" the mouse-man stuttered. "It's open! All right, time to investigate!"  
I stepped inside, and never noticed that he couldn't get in behind me. I looked around, though, and found nothing. As I was about to leave, someone else came through the door. Our heads knocked together.  
"Aaa!" screamed a familiar voice. "Leora!"  
I looked up. "Pearl!"  
"It's been so long!" she said. Elazul walked in behind her.  
"I'm glad you're okay," I told the couple. "What happened?"  
"A lot," Elazul said. "We've been doing some investigating. This place looks abandoned to others..."  
"And nobody knows who Alex is!" Pearl cried, frustrated. "Nobody!"  
"I know," I murmured, and she smiled at me.  
"It's like time is warped," Elazul mused.  
"Something's strange," agreed Pearl. "I feel it in my core."  
"Let's check it out," suggested Elazul. The three of us split up, searching the shop. I'd already done this once, and wasn't sure I'd find anything, but it was worth the try.  
"Are you coming too?" Pearl asked, happy. "Thank you!"  
Elazul nodded. "Thanks, Leora, for helping us out."  
After a bit of searching, I was about ready to give up again. Then...  
iSomebody!/i  
The voice was Florina's! I finally traced the source to a large wooden trunk up against one wall.  
"I sense a powerful sparkle!" declared Elazul.  
"It feels so familiar," Pearl said, "but where is it coming from?"  
I opened the chest, and found that I had been correct. The three of us were warped into Florina's room. We all approached her box.  
"My core..." Pearl said, suddenly falling to the floor.  
"Pearl, what is it?" Elazul asked, urgently.  
Florina opened up her box. "Don't try to lessen my pain, Pearl!" she said severely.  
"Are... are you the Clarius?" asked Elazul. "The pillar of life that supports us all..?"  
Florina's core shimmered. "Yes, I am Florina, Clarius of the Jumi..."  
"Florina..." Pearl murmured.  
"Pearl, let me be!" Florina ordered. I couldn't tell what Pearl was doing, but some of the instructions Blackpearl had given her seemed to be taking effect, even if Pearl didn't mean to follow them. "I don't want a part of your core... turn off that white heart of yours." Florina began to concentrate.  
"What! What are you doing to Pearl?!" cried Elazul.  
"I'm going to return her to her original form. There is something I want to ask her," explained Florina. "Don't worry; I can't hurt her. I can only give, only heal."  
Elazul looked very reluctant. I studied his face.  
He really loves her, I realized to myself.  
"Black core shining within..." chanted Florina, "return to thy true form!"  
Pearl disappeared, leaving Lady Blackpearl in her place.  
"What of the Mana Sword, the key to opening the Mana Stone?" inquired Florina. "Is that what you gave Elazul?"  
Blackpearl held out her hand; Elazul's sword disappeared from his belt and reappeared in Blackpearl's hand. "Unfortunately, this is from an ancient tribe of nomads. They are a race that can see the past. They gilled with sword with the past." She handed it back to Elazul, who put it away.  
"There is something I must ask you," Florina said. "Blackpearl..."  
"I want to ask you something, too," Elazul said.  
"Stop," Blackpearl told him harshly. "You are in the presence of a guardian."  
"Say it, Elazul," Florina told him. "Perhaps I have the same question..."  
I watched Elazul, his face determined. "I always wondered..." he said. "When I found you in the desert, you were Blackpearl with a black core. Then, as I held you in my arms, you acquired a white core. Whether in Leires or Mekiv, your form changes between black and white. If you are Blackpearl, then how was Pearl born? Who iare/i you?" Elazul relaxed.  
"Blackpearl," Florina commanded. "Answer."  
"I..." Blackpearl began.  
"Tell me," Florina said. "I am ready."  
Blackpearl's core gave a glint of black light. "All right."  
  
iAlexandra had asked me to meet her out in the desert. I didn't know exactly what she wanted; only that it involved why she had taken Florina away from the Bejeweled City.  
"You came...Pearl," she said to me when I arrived.  
"What do you think you are doing?" I demanded of her. "Taking Florina away?"  
"I wish to save her!" Alex told me. "If the war drags on, many Jumi will be hurt. The compassionate Florina will cut away some of her life and shed tears."  
I was annoyed that Alexandra couldn't see the truth. Only one could cry, that's how it had been for some time. The Clarius had no choice. "It is the duty of the guardians who sit on the throne of the Clarius to support the race with their own lives," I explained to her. "After continuing the duty for a hundred years, the guardian is released and a new Clarius is chosen. Until then, she must persevere."  
"Florina is going to die," was the soft reply.  
"No," I contradicted.  
"She has changed since you joined the struggle," Alexandra told me. "You will not find the Mana Stone in time! It is too late..."  
"Even so," I persisted, admittedly a bit embarrassed at her bringing up the Mana Stone, "Florina should be returned to the city. The suffering of others must not be ignored! She... Florina wishes it."  
Alex defiantly shook her head. "No. Florina's wishes matter not." What was this woman thinking? "She is about to enter eternal slumber."  
I gasped. "What did you do?"  
"I trapped her inside Pandora's box," Alex explained.  
"Trapped her..?" I asked, feeling a bit weak. We needed Florina to keep the race alive!  
The woman before me smiled. "There was no other way..." her eyes sparkled, and her core faded from green to purple; the odd quirk of being a Jumi of Alexandrite.  
"I see," I said to her, tartly. "Let's ask Diana to revoke the position of Clarius from Florina."  
"And make a new guardian into the Clarius," Alexandra concluded. "Will you tear off even more life?"  
"That is how we must live," I stated. "But I'll do my best with Florina. So please... take her back to the others. She is the symbol of the Jumi. She is the embodiment of hope. I will return tomorrow." I turned around, to leave.  
"Will you turn your back, Blackpearl?" she persisted. "Why do you help a race which can only live at the expense of others?"  
"I cannot betray my comrades," I replied.  
"You just don't get it, do you," Alexandra sneered, her voice growing nasty, "you stone puppet?"  
"Puppet?" I asked her, confused.  
"You always amazed me," Alex said. "You, who live for thousands of years. I heard from Florina that your core is black, and gives off no light, a shell for your own self. The knight of the Clarius, Blackpearl, is just a stone puppet."  
"I am not a stone puppet," I told her calmly.  
"You're a puppet with no sparkle!," the woman went on relentlessly, "Not just you, but all Jumi who've lost their sparkle, we're all puppets! We have lost the ability to cry and care for others. We are the ones who should die, not Florina!"  
"Alex..." I began.  
"As one who protects such foolish Jumi," she spat, "I cannot let you live! Die!"  
With that, she threw a blade at my chest. My core was undamaged, but the pain was ample. I fell to the ground. "Alex..!" I murmured. "You must not hurt a comrade..." and with those words, I blacked out.  
I finally came to, spitting out sand, with, at the time, no memory of the events that had just taken place... or anything. I felt somebody pulling me up off the ground.  
"You are a Jumi, are you not!?" he said to me. "Pull yourself together?"  
I didn't know what to do. "Where am I..?" I asked. "What's a Jumi..? Who are you..?" I paused, climbing to my feet. Even my core was now unfamiliar... it had become a snowy, pearly white. "I don't remember..." I murmured. "Who am I?"  
The man helping me paused. "You are Pearl," he told me. "Don't worry. I am a knight and I will protect you..."/i  
  
I blinked out of my stupor as Blackpearl finished her story.  
"Pearl was born from your damaged core," Florina concluded, her own core sparkling. "Damaged, you decided to shoulder my pain as Pearl."  
Blackpearl said nothing.  
"I have decided," continued Florina. "Please, Blackpearl, stop Alexandra, the one who betrayed the race."  
"Not stop her, Florina," Blackpearl said. "Defeat her. She is now our enemy."  
"You musn't," Florina said, looking worried. "You musn't hurt anyone. I...will heal her troubled heart, so please..."  
"No," Blackpearl said, shaking her head.  
"Blackpearl, please," Florina begged. "You were my knight..!" Blackpearl did nothing, so Florina sighed and turned to Elazul. "I have something to ask of you, too, Elazul." He looked up at her, expectantly. "No matter what happens, you must not interfere."  
"What are you saying?" Elazul retorted, angrily. "I am a knight!"  
"The Jumi will surely die out if Blackpearl loses this battle," Florina told him crisply. I watched both of them, tense and silent as usual. "But you don't think by the old rules," Florina lectured. "You have never killed. You have another purpose..."  
"Don't tell me what to do!" Elazul said, stung. "I am Pearl's knight! I will protect both Pearl and Blackpearl!"  
"It's time," Florina said, closing the discussion. "Here, take this." Considering the arguments that had just gone on, Florina handed the ancient Jumi staff to none other than me. I clutched it in my hands. "Alex is calling," she said, lying down. "We'll all die..." she then murmured to herself. "Everyone...stop..."  
As Florina disappeared, she left me one last message. Leora, take care of Elazul.  
"What is it with everyone?" Elazul complained, bitterly. "Underestimate me, will you? Pearl is my guardian!"  
"A new age..." Blackpearl said. "A new beginning... you have a future," she told Elazul.  
"Blackpearl..." he murmured.  
"I leave it all to you. Everything that is mine and Pearl's." With that, the dark Jumi knight knelt to the floor and turned back into the gentle girl with the white core. "Ugh..." Pearl said.  
"Are you all right, Pearl?" asked Elazul.  
"I just remembered, Elazul," Pearl said, looking as though she wanted to cry. "You gave me my name. I was searching for one for so long..."  
Elazul said nothing. For that matter, neither did I. The way they were looking at each other... I admit that I was hoping one of them would confess some affection to the other, but they backed off.  
"Don't worry," Pearl said. "Blackpearl and I are one and the same. You are my knight."  
"I'll protect you, and Blackpearl!" Elazul told her.  
"Thanks," Pearl said. Their cores chimed in unison.  
"Pearl," Elazul said. "I don't want you to go."  
"I can fight," Pearl replied. "Blackpearl's powers will be needed, too."  
"Let's go to Florina together," Elazul suggested.  
"No, not by ourselves," Pearl said. "I sense too much danger."  
"I won't let you go, even if I have to shut you in Pandora's box," Elazul said, running his fingers over the wooden box. "But that's just the way I feel, I guess." He turned to me. "Leora, could you decide for us? You were always nearby. We can trust you... take one of us to the place the staff shows."  
"How can I choose?" I murmured. "I can take one of you and leave the other in danger... and I can't protect both of you from the jewel hunter..."  
"Either way," Elazul promised, "I won't hate you."  
Which was more dangerous? What would happen to the one who came with me, and the one who stayed behind?  
Finally, I made my decision.  
"Pearl," I said. "You're such a dear friend to me, and, though you've lost your powers to cry, a wonderful guardian. I was even knighted... that guardian is gone, but I feel the same desire to protect you..." I paused, looking at their faces. Neither of them looked angry, or grateful either. "That's why," I concluded, "I'm taking Elazul with me." I shut my eyes. "I don't know what to do! Be strong, Pearl, all right? We will meet again."  
Pearl smiled softly. "Take care, you two," she said. "I'll be waiting."  
"Let's go," Elazul said to me, "to the place the staff shows."  



	13. The City of Flickering Destruction

  
  
When the sun sets on the Bejeweled City, the whole thing lights up as if it were part of the sun itself. The city is built in round layers, each higher layer with a smaller circumference than the one before it. Water flows from the top and all the way down into the water where the city rests. Elazul and I said nothing as we waded to the entrance. We walked up a flight of stone stairs, and found ourselves on a sandstone terrace, studded all over with jewels.  
"This is the Bejeweled City," Elazul said, solemnly. "The world that Blackpearl tried to protect." His core gave what almost seemed a desperate cry.  
I hardly knew what to say. "It's beautiful," I told him.  
"The locks are probably on, so we'll need to collect the keys," Elazul said. It went way over my head, and he didn't bother to explain further, but I was pretty sure we'd manage.  
We made our way through the glowing corridor until we reached a door with a large archway above it. This was decorated with a giant ruby. Elazul led me inside, where we fought off two Chobin Hoods and a Shadow Zero. That was simple enough. When I was finished, I noticed a large ruby sitting on a rock formation in the back of the room. With Elazul's approval, I took this.   
There were four such rooms on this level of the city; the others contained an emerald, a topaz, and a sapphire. When I'd collected all four, Elazul led me to the gate between floors.  
"Sappho's gate," he whispered.  
I examined the door, and heard a sound from within.  
"Leora," Elazul said, "this looks like some kind of trap." He paused, looking around. "Something lurks within..."  
His core shone. Just then, yet another of Sandra's jewel beasts barreled around the corner. The fight was as simple as it had ever been... Elazul was hit by a rock, and I got fried up by a beam, but we survived.  
There were two pedestals surrounding the doorway. I put the ruby and emerald on them. "Is this the right combination?" I asked.  
Elazul pushed the door, which chimed twice, quickly, and then opened. "Yeah," he said. "First try. Nice work."  
We went and collected another ruby and emerald before continuing up the stairs. Somewhere along the glowing corridor, we stopped. Did we hear voices? Investigating further, we found that we could see shadows of the Jumi talking to each other.  
It was all merely a memory.  
"How is Florina doing, Rubens?" asked a Jumi girl. She looked a lot like Esmeralda, save that her basic color scheme was blue. "She seems to be so tired... what about a new knight for Florina?"  
The shadow of Mr. Rubens smiled wryly. "No need to worry," he said. "Think of Alexandra as a substitute for Blackpearl."  
A red girl who looked much like the blue and Diana faded into view. "Diana!" cried the girl.  
"What is the matter?" asked Diana's memory.  
"Florina is not in her chamber!" the red girl replied. All four Jumi flashed their cores in unison, then faded from sight.  
"An illusion," Elazul said, gruffly, trying to hide his emotions. "of when everyone was still alive." He reached out with his core; there was no response. It truly was an illusion.  
On that floor, I gathered an aquamarine and an amethyst, and took these to the gate. There was yet another jewel beast guarding this one! When would they end? We took it out easily, hoping there wouldn't be any more. I, for one, was getting sick of them.  
I placed the ruby, aquamarine, and amethyst on the pedestals. The door chimed once. I supposed that meant that one of these was correct. I switched the ruby with the emerald... still just one chime. Then I replaced that with a sapphire, and got two chimes.  
I moved on to the amethyst. I switched that with the topaz, but there were still two chimes, so I put it back and replaced the aquamarine with topaz. The door chimed thrice and opened up.  
Up on the next floor, we had to fight a Machine Golem to claim the diamond. It packed a punch, and by the time we'd defeated it, both of us had a few burns, and Elazul's face was bruised. I took an ice pack from my knapsack and he pressed it there, and we both rubbed Poto oil on the burns. While Elazul was nursing his wounds, I climbed into the crevices in the wall, located the running water, and refilled my canteen. We both had a long drink before continuing.  
As night fell, we came across a room that Elazul identified as Mr. Rubens' room. Once again, the memory shadows returned, and we watched them, spellbound.  
The red and blue girls from before were there, accompanied by one in yellow. Rubens stood upon a slightly raised platform, listening to them.  
"The city cannot stand without the tears of Florina," declared the blue girl. "She must be brought back."  
"We shall bring her back," concluded the girl in yellow.  
"No," Rubens said. "You three sisters have yet to be knighted."  
The red girl scrunched up her face. "That is true, but..."  
"I shall ask Lady Blackpearl," her sister in blue said.  
"Lady Blackpearl has been expelled from the city," Rubens told them, looking slightly annoyed.  
"Officially, yes," admitted the yellow girl.  
"Lady Blackpearl is looking for the Mana Stone by Florina's order."  
"We did not know," the red girl said. "Where is Lady Blackpearl?"  
Rubens thought about this. "Probably Leires," he mused. "She said there was a powerful sword there. I'll go to the tower. Take care of Diana."  
"Yes," the sisters agreed.  
Esmeralda's shadow walked onto the scene--I knew it! They were her sisters after all.  
"Going somewhere?" the emerald girl asked. "Are you going outside?"  
"We are not going on vacation," one sister chided her.  
Esmeralda bowed her head. "Oh..." she said. "Are you headed to Geo, too?"  
Her sisters looked shocked, and the blue one spoke up. "That's a scary place!"  
"The shop that sells our cores is there," added the yellow.  
"But the academy is there too, right?" Esmeralda said. "I really want to learn magic."  
"Yes, yes," her sisters said, waving her off. "Farewell, Rubens. We are off."  
"Hmph!" Esmeralda pouted, as her sister's shadows left the scene.  
Rubens smiled at the young Jumi. "Why would Esmeralda want to learn magic?" he asked.  
Esmeralda smiled the smile I had learned so well. "I'm a guardian," she explained, "but I can't cry. That's why I want to be a knight like Lady Blackpearl."  
"I see," Rubens smiled. "You're a good girl, Esmeralda."  
Their cores chimed in unison, and they faded.  
Elazul shook his head. "Esmeralda... Rubens... Dammit!" his core glinted, and once more, there was no reply.  
We fought the last jewel beast at the gate, then fooled around until we found the combination (emerald, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond). With that, we entered the top level of the Bejeweled City--where the room of the Clarius was.  
iSomeone!/i Came Florina's voice, sensing us. iOur sparkle will go out!/i  
Elazul and I rushed in; there was Florina on her throne, Sandra standing it in front of it.  
"Florina!" cried Elazul.  
"You're finally here," Sandra said, coolly.  
"Sandra?! You were Alexandra?" Elazul cried. I realized that he must have known the identity of the jeweler, but not the Jumi knight.  
"That's right," Sandra replied; her core chimed in unison with Elazul's.  
"What are you trying to do, hunting the Jumi?" Elazul asked, softly. "Is it revenge?"  
"That, too," Sandra said, moving a lock of hair out of her eyes. "But that is not all. Let me show you."  
I gasped as the strange creature from Mekiv appeared on a ledge. He bowed to us; I knew it was the same creature.  
"You were at the cave!" Elazul exclaimed.  
"I am the Lord of Jewels..." he said, slowly.  
Sandra grinned. "My master has the power of a black hole... to fuse together everything that is swallowed..."  
"Oh, Goddess," I whispered, not feeling too well anymore.  
Elazul looked just as sick as I felt. "You ate the Jumi's cores?" he asked, sounding a lot less brave than he had before.  
Lord Jewels smiled mildly. "Everything becomes one inside me. I will retrieve your cores, and the light of the stars in space."  
"My master," Sandra said, "has already swallowed nine-hundred ninety-eight Jumi cores. It takes a thousand cores to save Florina."  
"So the nine-hundred ninety-ninth core is..." Lord Jewels produced, from behind his back, a round, white, shimmering stone. My heart froze, and I watched in terror as the horrible beast swallowed it.  
"No..." I whispered.  
"Pearl!" Elazul cried. His face was so strained; he would have been crying if he could. I wanted to cry myself, but I remembered the legend. Don't cry, don't cry, I told myself.  
"Do not be saddened," drawled Lord Jewels, "for all Jumi will become one."  
"You demon!!!" Elazul screamed, his voice distorted. "How could you do such a thing to her?" Elazul got out his weapon, and I followed suit. I was simply furious... mostly at myself. I couldn't protect Rubens, I couldn't protect Esmeralda, and Pearl just took the cake. It was my choice, too. I chose her to die over Elazul. I felt like a demon myself...  
The Lord Jewels seemed to have accepted our challenge. In a dazzling display of light, he transformed himself into a large serpent-like creature. He then produced a large orb (it looked like the moon) set into a golden staff, and wound his body around this. He then began his attack.  
Elazul and I were both fighting using our fury as a crutch; he was shouting obscenities, and I might have been, as well. I was on such a rush of anger that I can't even remember. The serpent snapped at us with his fangs, and created laserbeams reflected from jewels. Jewels that were probably created from nine-hundred ninety-nine Jumi ilives/i!  
It's probably because we were so angry that Elazul and I were able to defeat that form. Admitting defeat, Lord Jewels reverted to his normal form.  
"I only need a little more strength," he said.  
I moved to protect Elazul. Like ihell/i he was getting his core. However, there was no need.  
"Master!" Sandra cried. "Take my core!"  
Before he could stop her, she reached inside her dress, and pulled out a purple gem. Her body disappeared in a flash, leaving the gem floating there in midair.  
"Sandra..." murmured Lord Jewels, thoughtfully.  
iIn exchange, Master, please win!/I Came Sandra's ethereal voice. I shivered. What a last plea that was!  
The core floated over to the Lord Jewels, who caught it in his hand. Just before he swallowed it, it turned green. And then, with the thousandth Jumi core, our world melted before us...  
The vortex was filled with blue mist and sparkling stars. It went on forever in every direction; there was no real solid ground to speak of, but Elazul and I found that we could walk... it was like walking on a mattress, though.  
Lord Jewels had become such a giant and ugly creature that it was hard to look at him anymore. I suppose his basic shape was that of a whale--a large, green whale. Orange boils rose up from his skin, and there were several green and lavender growths popping out in strange places... they almost looked like extra limbs, but that couldn't have been it. This creature floated above us in midair.  
However, this beast was slow, and Elazul and I were still furious. We fought it, on and on, taking any of the hits it threw at us. Energy beams, whatever, we didn't care anymore. I'm sure we both felt like complete failures by now. That didn't stop us from wanting to kill this wretch, either, though.  
Its skin was tough; so I performed my Shield Breaker technique on it, and immediately after Elazul carried out his Bird of Prey. The beast staggered, and we finished it off with a pair of strong slashes at its underbelly.  
The explosion was great. As the beast dissolved into nothing, we saw the image of a humungous jewel of all colors... many tiny jewels flew towards it, and after all of them had gone by (perhaps there had been a thousand), there was a final flash and Elazul and I found ourselves back in the throne room, to the great relief of Florina.  
Elazul's eyes looked hollow and dead. He gazed at Florina, and then me. "Florina and I," he began, "are all that is left of the Jumi."  
I felt like there was a volcano inside me waiting to erupt. I was shaking, and thinking about everything, and I just couldn't stop the overflow. I covered my hands with my face and began to sob.  
"Stop, now!" Elazul cried. "You'll turn to stone!"  
The ears that his cry fell upon had already become deaf.  
  



	14. The Teardrop Crystal

Oh, that stupid girl! That stupid curse! I watched as my last real friend in the world turned into a stone statue before my very eyes.  
Of course, I had Florina, but… she was and always would be my superior. Friends, true friends on my level, they were all but gone.  
But wait--I noticed one tear hanging dangerously off of Leora's stone face. I was about to wipe it away, but something held me back. Then, I watched it fall of its own accord.  
It never hit the ground.  
The teardrop suddenly crystallized, shining with all the colors like a prism. Lights of all colors floated through the room, and I watched, in total shock and amazement as my friends and comrades, my fellow Jumi, reappeared into the room.  
"It's a miracle," I breathed, not knowing what to do. I felt something welling at the corner of my eyes.  
Tears?  
I could cry!  
"By thinking of the welfare of all races," Lady Diana said, stepping forward, "a teardrop crystal is made…"  
"Everyone!" Esmeralda cried happily.  
"We're…alive!" Rubens said in amazement.  
I looked around the room wildly. She had to be here somewhere. When I finally located, I saw there were tears coming from her eyes as well. "Pearl!" I cried, my heart swelling with emotions.  
"Elazul…" she regarded me, in her usual way, with a warm smile. That smile, however, disappeared, when she saw the state that Leora was in. She gasped.  
I had an idea, and made my decision. "Everyone!" I announced. "could you all give me a little life, please?"  
"You're going to give Leora a teardrop crystal?" Rubens asked.  
"I think I can cry…" Esmeralda said.  
Diana turned to our Clarius. "Florina…" she began.  
Florina cut her off. "Everyone, bind your souls," she ordered. "Let's make another teardrop crystal."  
We all bowed our heads and let our tears flow.  
  
It rained.  
I watched it, sitting on the wooden bench, through the attic window. What a storm… it was thundering like there was no tomorrow.  
I heard my sister come up the stairs, and turned to look at her.  
"There's a terrible storm outside," Lisa stated. "It's like the sky is falling down!"  
I chose my words carefully; I was worried about Leora. "They say that when a Jumi cries, the sky cries with it. Did you know that?"  
Lisa shook her head, and yawned idly. "I wonder if the pearl girl is crying," she said, after a minute.  
I didn't reply, just pursed my lips together and watched the storm. There were so many things that could have happened to her… and what of that old legend?  
Lisa rubbed her eyes, perhaps thinking the same. "Or maybe it's the lapis lazuli guy…"  
I wondered, too. The grey sky, maybe it was crying with grief.  
"Leora is late…" Lisa said, climbing up on the bench next to me.  
I gulped. "Yeah…"  
We watched the storm into the night; still she did not return home. Finally, my sister and I just fell asleep on that bench, hoping for something better in the morning.  
When I awoke, light was streaming through the windows. I slowly opened my eyes, and looked out to the sky. The storm had left beautiful, rainbow curtains of light wafting through the blue! I woke Lisa up in a hurry.  
"Whoa!" she cried, looking out the window.  
We rushed downstairs and outside, and sat on the front steps, watching the sun come up through the rainbows.  
When we heard footsteps, we both looked up. It was Elazul and Pearl. We stood up, hoping for some kind of news.  
"We've got to tell you about Leora," Pearl began.  
I gasped, and Lisa fell to her knees. Pearl looked concerned, and Elazul ran up to my sister and put an arm around her.  
"Hey," he whispered. "There's no need to worry."  
We heard more footsteps, and looked up expectantly.  
Leora grinned at us. "I'm back!" she announced.  
I jumped up and ran at her, giving her a hug that nearly tackled her, even though I was only half her height. Lisa walked up more slowly, but was just as happy to see her all right.  
All five of us went inside and had a modest, but still wonderful celebration.  
  



	15. Epilogue

  
  
  
One day, awhile later, when Elazul and I were out for a walk, we found Inspector Boyd in front of the church again. Noticing me and Elazul, he rushed up to us.  
"I am Inspector Boyd," he said for Elazul's benefit, "in pursuit of the jewel hunter! Do you have any information."  
Elazul rolled his eyes. "You can't arrest Sandra anymore, just give it up."  
"What?!" cried Boyd, his pride stung. "How dare you insult me?!"  
"No," Elazul said. "That's not what I mean. Sandra has gone away...far away."  
"What, is that all? So long as Sandra remains at large, I will bring her in!" he turned to me. "Well, do you have any info on the jewel hunter?"  
"Sandra is no more," I said solemnly, struggling to keep a straight face.  
Boyd grew angry and threw a small fit. "What?! What is wrong with everyone?! Speak some sense, please! I will not give up! I will go to the end of the world to catch her!  
I walked Elazul back home to the Bejeweled City, where we learned Pearl was up with the Clarius. I decided to go up there and say hello. Just as we emerged onto the top floor, however, a note fell from the sky. I gasped.   
"This means..!" Elazul whispered.  
I bent over the note and picked it up. "Take care of Florina for me," I read.  
Elazul relaxed, and smiled. His core chimed, and he said. "Sandra the jewel hunter was thinking of the Jumi in her own way," he said.  
Perhaps he was right. I began to think about it on my way home. One thing was for sure, though-I was glad that they'd finally found peace.  



End file.
